


Intimacy

by FluffPuffCat



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chara has their own body, Chara x Frisk, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Frisk x Chara, Multi, Other, Post-Pacifist Route, Soft Chara, charisk, pacifrisk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 106,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5355230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffPuffCat/pseuds/FluffPuffCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At night, Frisk feels a familiar presence. (Frisk x Chara), agender Frisk and Chara.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Companion

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Undertale and its characters do not belong to me.

The bedroom in Snowdin Town's inn was warm, cozy, and quiet. Frisk lay in their oversized bed, trying to fall asleep.

Something had been disturbing their mind lately. At first, they had paid little heed to it, thinking that it was just a result of their fatigue and dizziness. They had had a rough day since leaving Toriel's home. The snowy woods were cold and full of malicious monsters. Sans and Papyrus were nice, though, and they appreciated their company, even if all Papyrus did was challenge them to solve puzzles.

The disturbance had initially been no more than intrusive thoughts. Every time they encountered a monster, they would suddenly think of murdering it in a dark, gruesome manner. They became aware that these were not normal thoughts when they encountered a dog and thought instantly of butchering it, eating it, ripping out its eyes...

Of course, they had been able to resist this urge, and had chosen instead to pacify the dog so that they could spare it. But as the day continued, the thoughts started to become like a second voice inside their head. The speaker of the voice had a personality that was distinct from their own, and its tone was deep and menacing. It often told them to do things that they would never before have even considered.

The speaker seemed to have an insatiable desire for murder. It urged them to find ways to backstab their new friends, Sans and Papyrus, and even Toriel, if they could go back and do it. When they walked into Snowdin Town, the voice told them to slaughter everyone in sight. That had been the last straw, and they had decided to fight back. To suppress this voice, they had mustered up their determination and ordered – in their head – for the voice to back off and stop speaking to them.

To their surprise, this seemed to have worked, and the voice disappeared for a while. But, now that they were lying in bed, trying to sleep, the voice was back again. It was telling them to do nasty, fiendish things to the family of rabbits that owned this inn. Kill that child. Torture the parents with the image of their dead child, and then kill them. Throw their bloodied bodies out in the middle of town for everyone to see. Then, kill everyone else.

They would never do such a thing. And if, somehow, the voice started to take control of their body, they would fight – with all their determination – to prevent themselves from harming a single monster.

Frisk turned to rest the right side of their head against the pillow. They blinked a few times, hoping that the voice would go away soon. On their last blink, they thought they saw something at the corner of their vision. A shape. They reached up with their hand and brushed strands of dark brown hair out of their eyes. When the strands parted, they saw the top of a head peeking out from under the edge of their bed. Instantly, they sat up.

There was a giggle. Then, the head moved up to reveal the face of a young child.

In the dim light of the windows, they could see that the child looked remarkably similar to themselves. The child also had long and dark brown hair. Their eyes were wide and round, and perhaps slightly bloodshot, though it was too dark for Frisk to tell. Their face was pretty, with high cheekbones, a tall nose, and a round chin. The child's mouth was curled in a sly smile. Their hands gripped the edges of the bed, and they pushed themselves onto it.

"Hello," the child said. Their tone was flat and deep. "You're Frisk, aren't you? My name is Chara."

Frisk froze. For some reason, they couldn't find the will or determination to move. Something about the gaze in Chara's eyes caused them to feel as if their body was completely frozen. Those eyes were wide and piercing. Murderous, even.

"I know all about you," Chara said, leaning towards Frisk. "You know who I am, don't you?"

Frisk slowly shook their head.

"Don't be silly. You might not have realized it, but I've been with you all day. Following you. Speaking to you. Telling you to do things that you're too afraid to even think of trying."

Chara turned their eyes away, and their devilish smile softened. Now, they leaned their head against the bed's pillow so that they were only a few inches away from Frisk. At this distance, Frisk could see that Chara did look very much like themselves. They were about the same age, and coincidentally had nearly identical hair styles. In fact, the monsters – who were not used to seeing many humans – probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart if not for the yellow and green striped sweater that Chara wore, as opposed to the blue and pink one that they wore.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?" Chara said, their voice dimming to a whisper. "In that case, why don't you run? Get out of here. Get out of this town. Run as far away from me as possible – though, of course, that means you'll have to find a way to break through the barrier."

Frisk tried to get themselves to move. Under Chara's gaze, they felt as if they were frozen inside a solid block of ice. Every part of their body was numb. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't even move an inch.

"You can't run," Chara said, raising their fingers to Frisk's cheek. Calmly, they stroked Frisk's face.

Chara's fingers were surprisingly soft. Frisk had expected themselves to feel some degree of pain. They had imagined that Chara would want to hurt them, and was concealing something within those hands. Perhaps Chara's fingers would be corrosive, and would burn the skin off their face. Or Chara had a knife hidden up their sleeve and would stab them suddenly. But Chara merely stroked their cheeks, gently, like a caress. It was oddly soothing.

"Don't be afraid of me, Frisk," Chara said. They started to grin. "I'm your friend, Frisk. We've always been together, and we should stay that way. You'll be scared if I leave. That's because I'm your determination. Without me, you wouldn't have the will to do anything. You wouldn't be able to survive in this world. But, together, nothing will be able to beat us. We'll crush anyone that stands in our way. Human, monster, it doesn't matter – they're no more than ants to us."

Nonchalantly, Chara moved their hand up to Frisk's forehead and brushed a few stray strands of hair away. Then, they swept their fingers lightly through Frisk's hair, before leaning in close towards them, so that their faces were almost touching.

"I know what you're like. You're the exact opposite of me – or, at least, you appear to behave that way. Like a pacifist."

Chara's grin grew wider.

"But, if you were truly dedicated to pacifism, to non-violence, then, why has my voice brought you such distress?" Chara moved their hand down Frisk's back, pulling them closer together. "You could just ignore me. You could cast me away, and claim to despise me and my intentions with every fibre of your being. But, if you did that, you'd just be doing exactly what I want you to do, wouldn't you? No. You're too much of a idealist. You think that everyone can be saved. You'll do anything to save someone, even if you know that they have nothing but hatred for you. That they would kill you the instant that they were given the chance."

For a few seconds, Chara was silent. Then, they turned their eyes away, and at that moment, Frisk felt their body being able to move again. It was no longer frozen. No longer held inside ice.

Yet, they didn't run. Perhaps they were afraid of doing so, of becoming locked in the prison of Chara's gaze again. It was also that they didn't feel uncomfortable being held in Chara's embrace. Somehow, they knew the truth behind every word that Chara had said. They had, for a long time, been together. Perhaps they had always been beside each other. Even if they hadn't been aware of it until now.

"You'll try to save me," Chara said, smirking. "And you'll do that, only because you have me – as your source of determination, as the resolve behind your every action. That's why you'll never let go of me. That's why, no matter how you try to ignore my words, you'll never truly be able to silence me. You just can't bear to throw me away. We'll be together – now, yesterday, tomorrow, and forever."

Frisk took a deep breath. It was true – every word of it. They couldn't throw Chara away.

Nervously, they moved their shaking hands up behind Chara's back as well. They locked eyes. Without thinking about it, they returned Chara's embrace. They held Chara tightly, as if to reassure themselves that Chara was there, and that Chara would never be gone. They wouldn't be able to survive in this world of monsters if they were ever separated.

A smile came over Chara's face. They leaned forward and kissed Frisk gently on the lips.

"I'll be here for you," Chara whispered. "Always."

They parted their embrace, and then Chara turned away, moving themselves off the bed. Frisk reached forward, opening their mouth, but found themselves unable to utter a word. In Chara's presence, words felt futile.

"I'll make sure that you won't forget about me," Chara said, making their sly smile once more. "No matter where you go, you'll be able to hear my voice. You'll feel my presence. You'll hear my words, and you'll feel compelled to act upon them. Perhaps, one day, you actually will."

They ducked and disappeared under the bed.

Frisk turned their head back to look at the clock that was in the room. To their surprise, only two minutes seemed to have passed since they first laid down on the bed. And yet, for some reason, they no longer felt tired or sleepy. They were completely rejuvenated.

Slowly, they got up and out of bed and grabbed the room keys to return them to the counter.


	2. A Possible Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far! I always appreciate a comment, suggestion, or review.

Frisk lay still in the grass. The sound of metal boots clunking against the floor was growing distant. They held their breath, hoping that whoever was walking in that massive suit of armour – was her name Undyne? – would not bother to come back.

They waited until they could no longer hear the sound of her clanking armour. Then, they slowly began to ease themselves into a more comfortable position. As they stretched out their arms and their legs, still sitting, they felt a painful soreness in them. They had not moved an inch for several minutes out of fear of alerting Undyne to their presence. The grass was tall and provided adequate cover, but it was also noisy, and the slightest brush against it created an audible rustling sound.

Something else was rustling in the grass as well.

They froze and held their breath. It didn't sound like Undyne was coming back, or they would have heard the loud clunking of her boots. Whoever was moving around in the grass was probably much lighter. But they were quick, too, and the rustling was coming closer towards them. In the darkness, under the cover of the tall grass, they could hardly see beyond their own arms. They tried to listen to the rustling carefully to determine the direction at which this person would approach him. Then, they moved their hands up in front of their face to defend themselves .

Several blades of grass parted to reveal a familiar child in a bright green sweater with long brown hair. Frisk exhaled, initially in relief, but tensed again when they realized that Chara was staring at them. Staring with those piercing eyes.

"Greetings, Frisk," Chara said, sounding somewhat self-amused. They walked up to Frisk and crouched down, a frown coming over their face.

"I was hoping that you'd show a little more determination. What were you thinking, holing up in the grass? If Undyne had spent just a minute longer searching for you, she would have found you." Chara narrowed their eyes. "Hiding makes you weak. At the moment that the enemy finds you, you'll be completely vulnerable. In that situation, you wouldn't stand a chance against Undyne. She'll destroy you, and then she'll take you to the king, Asgore."

Frisk tried to pull away from Chara's gaze. They understood Chara's frustration towards them for hiding, for leaving themselves so defenceless. But, no matter what, they never wanted to fight. They hid because they wanted to avoid a confrontation – so that they wouldn't have to harm Undyne.

"You know what happens to humans that get taken before the king, don't you?" Chara said, folding their arms. "The King kills them, and then they takes their soul."

Chara stood back up, laughing quietly to themselves . For a few seconds, they turned their eyes away from Frisk, and Frisk felt the freedom of being able to move again. They nervously sat upright.

"I suppose I ought to have expected as much," Chara said with a smirk. "You've wasted so many opportunities to kill your enemies. When Papyrus spared you, you could've turned against him and murdered him on the spot. Every person in that pathetic little town, Snowdin, could've been your prey. Don't you get it? If you don't kill anybody, you'll never get stronger. You'll never become powerful enough to achieve your goals – to crush those standing in your way."

Frisk flinched at those words. In a way, they were true. They didn't want to crush anybody, but, at the same time, they also weren't getting stronger. Sooner or later, they would encounter an enemy – Undyne, perhaps – that they wouldn't be able to stand against. They would, of course, try to talk their way out of a confrontation, but what if they had no choice but to fight?

At that moment, there came another rustling sound. Both Frisk and Chara turned their heads in time to see a little yellow round head emerging from behind a cluster of tall blades of grass. Bright, curious eyes stared back at them. Frisk recognized it to be the monster kid from back in Snowdin Town – the kid that idolized Undyne.

"Uh, hi!" the monster kid said, raising a claw to wave at them. He emerged fully out of the grass and walked towards Frisk.

"Yo...did you see the way that she was staring at you?" he continued. "That...was AWESOME! I'm SO jealous! What'd you do to get her attention?"

Chara glared at the kid. Frisk remained frozen, unsure of what to say to either of them.

"You're a nuisance. Get out of here," Chara said. They raised their arm, as if they were about to hit the kid.

Almost instantly, Frisk stood up and stepped in front of the kid protectively. Their hands reached for the toy knife that they kept hidden inside their pocket. They had no intention to use the knife – and they hadn't found the need to, so far – but, if things became violent, they wanted to have some way of defending themselves . Plus, the toy knife was only just a toy – what harm could it really do?

To Frisk's surprise, Chara put their arm back down.

"So, u-uhh...who are you?" the kid asked, leaning their head out from behind Frisk to glance at Chara.

"Me?"

Chara lowered their head for a moment, as if to think about their answer. They still looked a bit angry, but they seemed to be willing to put on some semblance of self control.

"I'm nobody," Chara said at last, snickering. "But, if you want me to be, I can become your worst nightmare. Your cruellest enemy."

"A-are you a human?" the kid continued to ask, his voice beginning to quiver. Frisk slowly reached out to hold the kid's hand.

Chara shifted their feet and angled themselves slightly away from them. "No. I'm not a human."

"Really? Are you a monster, then?"

At this, Chara's expression grew enraged again. They seemed, for a moment, to be ready to snap, but – to Frisk's surprise – they didn't. Instead, Chara grew calm again after only about a second of anger.

"That's funny," Chara said in a softer tone of voice. "You actually thought to ask first if I was a human."

"Well...are you?"

"No. I'm neither human nor monster."

As Chara spoke, their voice seemed to grow quieter, perhaps even sullen. The expression on their face had become strangely gloomy. They turned their eyes to the ground and furrowed their brow.

"So...what are you?" the kid continued asking.

"What am I?"

Slowly, Chara reached their hand out and grasped a tall blade of grass beside them. Frisk thought they saw, for a brief moment, Chara's hand shaking as it held on the grass. Then, Chara turned their head back up to look at them again.

"If you want to know what I am – well, I'm dead."

Chara threw their head back and laughed. It was a choked laugh. They were holding something back.

"But, umm, I don't really get it," the monster kid said. "I mean, how can you be not a monster, or a human, but just...dead?"

"You think I care if you understand?!"

The monster kid shirked.

Chara threw a menacing glare at Frisk, and Frisk felt a chill go down their spine. They had never seen that look in Chara's face before. Chara usually looked – and spoke – with a bold and arrogant confidence, as if they were always in the right. But, now, there seemed to be just a tiny flicker of doubt on their face. Their eyes no longer held that piercing quality, but had become unusually distant. Even so, they continued to be frightening.

Frisk looked up at the ceiling. Little blue worm-like strands dangled from the roof, glowing like tiny stars. The stars of their home world, that is, which many monsters had never seen before.

"It doesn't even matter," Chara said, their voice choking up again. They cleared their throat before continuing.

"You want to know what happened to me, kid?"

They broke off the blade of grass and threw it to the ground. A tiny white flower fell alongside it.

"I killed myself."

Chara turned around and walked away.

Frisk couldn't find the will to move. For a while, they remained frozen, wondering about what Chara had meant. They didn't understand who or what Chara was, either. All they knew was that Chara was someone close to them, someone whose presence filled them with a powerful determination. Chara was aware of that, too. They were connected in a way that wasn't entirely clear, and the more they thought about it, the more their mind became filled with questions. Where did Chara come from, and why were they always so eager to kill people?

They felt the monster kid tugging with sharp claws against their arm, pulling them out of their thoughts.

"That guy was weird," the kid said before turning away. "Yo, maybe Undyne's still around. Let's go and watch her beat up more bad guys!"

Frisk stood up and nodded slowly.


	3. Pie for Chara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone. Thank you for reading this far! I really enjoy writing this story, mainly because I love Frisk and Chara, and I think it could be a lot more interesting if Chara was involved in the Pacifist run as well.

Each day in the underground world of monsters seemed to get more and more bizarre.

After confronting Undyne in the waterfall cave and escaping from her, Frisk had wandered into the laboratory of Dr. Alphys, a nervous and socially awkward lizard monster. She had been kind enough to upgrade their phone to include several more features, including a jetpack. That had proved useful in their encounter against Mettaton, an entertainment robot that perceived "entertainment" as finding ways to kill them on a variety of live television shows.

Frisk glanced up at the tower of cabinet drawers that loomed above their head. They couldn't help but wonder about how Mettaton had even constructed such a tower in the first place. During their last encounter, Mettaton had forced them to use their jetpack to fly to the top of the tower in order to retrieve a substitute ingredient for a cake. The ingredient, in this case, was MTT-Brand Always-Convenient Human-Soul-Flavour-Substitute. In the end, it wasn't even necessary, as Mettaton had already baked the cake beforehand.

Did a thing like 'Human Soul Flavour' even exist?

They looked across the set, wondering if there was anything else to observe before moving on. As they turned around, the movement of something green caught the edge of their eye. A familiar figure had walked onto the set and made straight for the refrigerator.

It was Chara again.

Frisk felt a strange sense of comfort. After their last encounter, Chara's presence in their mind had been gradually diminishing. It wasn't a bad thing, as it allowed them to keep focused on their goal of making it to the capital of the underworld. Yet, at the same time, it felt strangely lonely to be in their mind all by themselves without that second voice popping up every once in a while. During their battles against the angry dummy and Undyne, they had almost expected Chara's voice to appear to tell them to slaughter those standing in their way.

They realized how ridiculous it sounded – the fact that they missed having a second voice inside their own mind. If they told this to anyone, they would probably think that they were insane. But, in a way, having that second voice had started to become a source of reassurance. Even if all it did was tell them to do horrible, murderous things, they were at least glad that the voice always had confidence in them. With Chara by their side (or in their mind, or whatever), they felt like they could overcome any obstacle. They felt like they would never run out of determination.

But then, around the time that they entered Alphys' laboratory, Chara's presence disappeared completely. They wondered why.

Frisk approached Chara cautiously, so as not to startle them. When they walked onto the set, Chara noticed them and leaned their head over the door of the refrigerator, displaying their unnerving smile.

"Greetings, Frisk. Hasn't it been a while since we've met?" they said, before turning their attention back to the contents of the refrigerator.

Frisk opened their mouth, wanting to say something to Chara to express their happiness at seeing them. But, almost immediately, they closed their mouth again. They had actually wanted to express gratitude for Chara.

Once again, they found themselves questioning their own sanity.

"Damn. There's no chocolate in here," Chara said, sticking their head out over the door of the refrigerator a second time. They glanced at Frisk for a few seconds, as if waiting for Frisk to respond. Then, they put their hands into the refrigerator and took out a large pie wrapped in aluminum foil. They closed the door and walked towards Frisk, smiling wryly.

"Dear, dear Frisk," Chara said in a mocking voice, "You look rather sad. Aren't you happy to see me again?"

Chara placed the pie in Frisk's hands, bowing slightly. The smile on their face transformed into a grin as they looked back up at Frisk.

"I've missed you, too." Chara's voice grew low. They reached forward with their hand and placed their fingers below Frisk's chin. "But, you didn't seriously believe that I was going to go away, did you? I've been by your side all along. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to leave you. I simply decided to keep quiet for a while."

Not for the first time – and probably not for the last time, either – Frisk felt themselves turning as solid as a statue as they gazed into Chara's eyes.

Chara was unlike anyone else that they had ever encountered before. Chara's mere presence was enough to make them feel extremely weak and vulnerable. Even when facing against monsters, Frisk usually had no trouble finding the right words to speak to them – giving a compliment, cheering them on, a casual flirt – but, with Chara, the words that they wanted to say were always stuck in their throat. They could never find the right time or reason to say them.

This was also the first time that they were able to get a good look at Chara under decent lighting. As they had noticed earlier, Chara's eyes were bloodshot. They were wide and round, unlike their own, which were small and thin. Chara's hair was thick, and also slightly curled. It was messy and uncombed and reached down to their neck. Interestingly enough, their haircuts were of similar style and length.

"What are you waiting for?" Chara said, moving their hand away from Frisk's face. "I'm sharing some pie with you. Take it to the microwave on the counter over there and heat it up."

Wordlessly, Frisk nodded and took the pie to the microwave.

That had been unexpected. Briefly, they wondered about whether or not Mettaton would care about letting them steal their pie. Why would a robot even need to eat food in the first place? It was surprising enough that Mettaton even had food in their refrigerator, given how artificial the entire rest of the set of "Cooking With A Killer Robot" looked. Everything had probably been set up to give the audience an arbitrary reason for Mettaton to kill them and take their soul, if that giant stack of drawers was any indication.

But if ever Mettaton gave them trouble for it, they would have to put the blame on Chara.

When the microwave had finished heating up the pie, Frisk gingerly took it out and placed it on the counter. Chara walked towards them, smiling again, and glared down at the pie.

"You have a toy knife, don't you, Frisk?" Chara said. Their tone of voice grew menacing again. "Why don't you take it out and cut a couple of slices for us?"

Frisk tensed. They reached into their backpack and took out the toy knife. Chara was staring at them with an entirely too amused expression upon their face. Frisk unwrapped the foil around the pie and raised the knife, carefully glancing at Chara every few seconds to make sure that they wasn't up to anything.

Slowly, Frisk made the first cut. Despite the dull edge of the toy knife, it sank easily enough into the pie. A smell of butterscotch wafted came out. They waited before making a second cut. Then, they gestured at the pie and let Chara take the first slice.

To their surprise, the smile seemed to fade from Chara's face when they took the slice. Frisk began to feel nervous again, and they hesitated to make the next cut. For a moment, they stared back at Chara, wondering if something had gone wrong. Chara simply remained quiet until they finally turned away.

"Mmm. Butterscotch," Chara said at last, glancing down at the slice of pie in their hand. "It kind of brings me back."

Frisk raised their eyes, perplexed.

"I used to eat butterscotch pie a lot, back when I lived with...them," Chara said in a softer tone of voice. They closed their eyes. "She made pie for us almost every day. Once, I tried to make pie for them myself. I wanted to prank them, though. So, instead of putting cups of butter in the pie, I put buttercups instead."

They snickered, as if they felt proud of having done that. Frisk was horrified.

"Don't worry. They survived," Chara said, smirking. "It was only a prank, after all."

Chara turned their eyes back and forth between Frisk and the pie. Then, they raised their hand holding the slice of pie and and gently presented it to Frisk.

"I'll let you take the first bite," Chara said, making another unsettling smile.

The pie came from Mettaton's fridge, so it was unlikely that Chara had done something bad to it...unless it was already bad to start off with, given that it was Mettaton's fridge. Frisk held their breath. They didn't want to refuse such a request from Chara. At the moment, they felt like they were on Chara's good side, and they didn't want to ruin it.

They opened their mouth and took a bite.

The pie was delicious, just like Toriel's. Chara didn't pull their hand back. They held the pie at Frisk's mouth, as if to offer another bite. Feeling hungry, and not really wanting to refuse, Frisk took another bite, and then another, until they finished the entire slice from Chara's hand.

"There you go," Chara said, giggling. "Didn't that taste good?"

Frisk nodded and wiped the crumbs from their lips. They turned to the pie and made another cut, before taking out the slice and giving it to Chara. This time, Chara took the pie and began eating it.

While Chara ate, their smile disappeared and became replaced by another somber expression. For a while, Chara stared at the floor. Frisk remained silent. Once Chara was done eating, they looked back up at Frisk, their face now completely serious.

"I...I feel different," Chara said. They paused and turned away again. "It's been...so long since I've eaten anything. I didn't even think that I could remember this feeling. But, for some reason, I can–I'm eating again, and I can taste again, and..."

"For some reason, I'm alive."

Frisk didn't understand.

Before they could say anything, they heard a familiar ring from their cell phone. They picked it up. As expected, it was Alphys.

"U-uh, h-hello?" came Alphys' quiet and shy voice. "Uh, Frisk? U-u-mmm, where are you right now? I-I haven't looked at my video feed of you for a while now, because I'm, uh, in the bathroom, so, are you all right with everything?"

Upon hearing Alphys' voice, Chara became rather startled. They glanced around until they found the cameras that were placed around the set. Almost immediately, they turned away.

"I'll see you later, Frisk," Chara said, before walking briskly off of the set.

"U-uh, Frisk?" Alphys said. "Oh, I see you on my video feed now. It looks like you haven't gone anywhere. U-um, what's the pie doing on the table there? Are you hungry? Well, y-you should keep going, y-you know, if you want to make it to the core..."

Frisk nodded and turned back towards the exit of the set.


	4. The Courage to Speak

"Now, I hate making promises – and this woman, I didn't even know her name. But...someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say 'no' to," Sans said, winking.

As usual, Frisk stayed quiet, preferring to listen rather than to speak. The near-constant grin on Sans' face faded, and he began to spoke in a lower, more serious tone.

"Do you get what I'm saying? That promise I made to her...you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?"

Frisk shook their head.

"Buddy. You'd be dead where you stand."

Something flickered across Sans' eyes. For a brief moment, the light behind his eye sockets seemed to dim, almost disappearing, so that it looked as if his pupils had vanished. Frisk felt a chill go down their back. They blinked several times, wondering if Sans meant what he was saying, or if this was just another one of his jokes. If it was, his humour had certainly taken a rather dark turn.

"Well, that's all," Sans said, white lights reappearing behind his eye sockets. "Take care of yourself, kid, 'cause someone really cares about you."

Sans placed his hands into his pockets and began to walk towards the restaurant exit. As he passed by a table, he suddenly stopped. He turned their head, glancing around at everything, as if he had sensed something strange. Frisk caught on quickly to what was happening. Sans must have sensed the presence of Chara, who was probably hiding somewhere nearby.

After a few seconds of searching, Sans turned back to face Frisk. He cracked a slight smile, shrugged, and continued on his way.

Once Sans had left, Frisk scanned the room, making sure that there were no cameras around. It was fortunate that the MTT resort's restaurant was so ridiculously expensive. If Alphys had tried to set up cameras in here, she probably would have had to make a reservation just to claim a section of the wall, or the ceiling.

As expected, Chara crawled out from under the table that Sans had stopped beside. There was an unusually frantic look on their face. It was the first time that they showed any emotion that even remotely resembled fear. They walked up to Frisk and slammed their hand down on the table.

"How could you let him say that and get away with it?" Chara said, baring their teeth. "'You'd be dead where you stand'? That was a blatant threat! I can't believe you took it like it was nothing. Did you think it was just another one of his bad jokes?"

Frisk lowered their eyes. It wasn't like that at all. They were scared, and if they had had the courage, they would have confronted Sans about it.

"They sensed me, too," Chara continued, their tone becoming enraged. "I thought he was going to attack me while I was hiding under the table. You should have struck him when you had the opportunity. Friend or not, Sans just tried to threaten you, and you can't let him get away with that. He may look strong and act tough, but I doubt he stands a chance if you attacked him by surprise."

Chara grinned. "Yeah. You could probably take him down in a single hit. If not, then I could come in to finish him off."

Frisk took a deep breath. They wanted to tell Chara that everything that they were saying was completely ridiculous.

There was no reason to start a fight with Sans, especially when they were in such a populated area, where many people would have noticed a human violently assaulting a monster. Sans was probably much stronger than he appeared, and there was no telling what he could do if he was ever antagonized. Undyne would be terribly disappointed in them after they had shown her their mercy and friendship despite her attempts to get them to fight. Even if they did somehow manage to kill Sans, they would have ended up committing the ultimate betrayal to Papyrus.

"You wasted your chance," Chara said, turning away with a disappointed sigh. "You've wasted every opportunity you've had to kill and grow stronger. You'll never defeat Asgore like this. He'll crush you, just like he did with every other human that came down to this world."

There was just the slightest hint of doubt in Chara's voice as they reached the end of their sentence.

Frisk stepped towards Chara. They couldn't stay silent and let Chara belittle them forever. They would have to say something, eventually – and, now, in such a populated area where they were so visible, there was no better opportunity. This was their chance. But, as they opened their mouth, Chara turned back towards them, putting on an ominous glare. Frisk froze, feeling their courage melting away.

No, not again. They couldn't keep letting Chara have the upper hand over them. Chara was just a kid, like themselves . There was no sense in being so scared of them.

This time, instead of succumbing, Frisk forced themselves to stare back into Chara's eyes. Slowly, but steadily, they took another deep breath. The words that had been stuck in their throat became unfrozen. They felt their voice returning again, empowering them.

"Y-you're wrong," Frisk said. The sound of their own voice, so weak and diminutive, was surprising to hear after they had stayed silent for so long ago. "You're wrong, Chara."

"What?"

"I said, you're wrong," Frisk repeated. "I'd never kill anyone. No matter how hard anyone tries to hurt me, or how badly they want to kill me, I'll never fight them. I'll always show mercy."

They could feel courage and determination welling up from within them, and they raised their voice.

"A little flower once told me, 'In this world, it's kill or be killed'. I don't believe it one bit. So, I'll never stop being a pacifist. I'll find a way to solve everything peacefully, even if it costs me my life."

Chara didn't respond.

For a while, Chara remained silent. Then, they turned away, staring at the ground. Frisk breathed in deeply again to calm themselves down. They had said everything that they wanted to say. If Chara couldn't accept it, then there was nothing more that they could do.

Nearly a minute passed, and neither of them said anything to each other.

Finally, Chara looked back up at them. The expression on their face was remarkably different than before. It was no longer so furious, so hateful. Their eyes had almost a sullenness in them now, but, at the same time, they seemed more sincere – more genuine – as if all their anger from before had merely been a mask. More than anything, they looked sad.

"Of course," Chara said at last. "Of course you'd think that way."

Frisk tried to muster up a smile. "It's worked out so far."

"But it won't last." Chara closed their eyes. "You don't know what's in store for you, Frisk. If you keep going on like this, if you keep moving forward towards the Core...eventually, you'll reach the capital, and then, you'll learn everything. Asgore will send his servants to speak to you. They'll tell you everything about this world, about what happened in the past, about why...why they're so desperate to gather the seventh and last human soul."

Chara shook their head. "Once you hear everything, you'll find out about what happened to me, too."

Frisk nodded slowly. "I understand."

"No, you don't understand. After that, you'll face Asgore, but it doesn't matter whether or not you fight them. There's someone...someone who's even more powerful than Asgore, someone who won't be willing to let you through, no matter what. Even if you find a way to settle things peacefully with Asgore, you won't be able to get past this person without fighting."

"Who is it?"

"It's...it's an old friend," Chara replied. Their voice grew nearly choked, and they lowered their head even further. "A person very much like myself."

Without saying any more, Chara turned their back to Frisk and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Frisk called out. Desperation came through in their voice, and they felt themselves becoming and sounding weak again. "Chara, who is this person? And – who are you, exactly?"

"Frisk," Chara whispered, still walking away, "I'm someone who isn't even supposed to be alive."

"Chara!"

Chara stopped for a moment. But, as they started to speak, their back remained turned against Frisk.

"You know, Frisk...the way you've done everything up to now – it's really been surprising. I thought you were weak, and a coward, for choosing not to fight. But, in a way, I can see how you're becoming stronger. You know how to make friends. Every person that you've come across has walked away with something new, something perhaps...hopeful. Maybe, in the end, they'll all come around to help you, too."

Chara tilted their head to give Frisk a sideways look.

"Before you go face Asgore, there's something else that you should do. Go back and find the people that you call your friends. See if you can get them to talk to Doctor Alphys. If it's possible...give Doctor Alphys' lab a visit."

Then, Chara continued walking towards the exit of the restaurant, before turning a corner and disappearing into the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your reviews and support so far! More comments and suggestions are always appreciated :)


	5. Tapes

Frisk shuddered and backed away from the towering amalgamate that had appeared in front of them. It had a body like a fish's, only – instead of scales – it was comprised of a thick, slimy, and grey dripping substance. A bulging arm extended out of the upper half of the body, and the neck and shoulders was a writhing mass of mold. The head of the amalgamate was a giant black mouth with rows of sharp teeth. Every once in a while, eyes appeared on the surface of the head and rolled around, as if searching for the location of its prey.

All Frisk had to protect themselves with was a worn dagger in their hand.

As the amalgamate shambled towards them, they looked around, searching for a path to escape. Alphys' true laboratory was a much scarier place than they could have ever imagined. From reading the various notes that Alphys had left around in displays on the wall, they had guessed that all of these amalgamates were the results of her injecting fallen monsters with Determination. It had been a horrible thing to do, and if they could escape this place, they would have to confront Alphys about it. But, for now, survival was their top priority.

The amalgamate opened its head-mouth as it neared Frisk, revealing a row of black teeth covered in mold and slime. Frisk spun around and dashed down the hall that they had come from. The room was dark, and they could barely see where they were going. When they neared an intersection, they turned – and bumped into another body.

Chara stumbled back upon being struck by Frisk, nearly crashing into the wall. An angry frown came over Chara's face.

"Sorry!" Frisk said.

They pointed towards the amalgamate that was shambling towards them, and Chara's eyes followed their gaze. Almost immediately, the frown on Chara's face disappeared and was replaced with a look of pure fright. With widening eyes, Chara backed away from the approaching monster. Frisk raised their dagger in self-defence, but refrained from pointing its sharp edge at the amalgamate. Even though the creature was hideous, they still didn't want to hurt it. If there was a way to resolve this confrontation peacefully, then they would take it.

The amalgamate's mouth opened again. Thick grey saliva dripped from its teeth and onto the floor.

"Attack it, Frisk! Kill it!" Chara yelled.

Frisk glanced at Chara, who returned another one of their cold, vicious stares. The amalgamate was coming closer. It raised its bulging arm and made a motion resembling a flex.

"Wait," Frisk said, and they put down their dagger. Chara glared at them as if they had gone crazy.

On a closer inspection, the amalgamate looked rather similar to several other monsters that Frisk had seen before. The most obvious similarity was the arm, which resembled the arm of Aaron, a flexing-obsessed seahorse that they had encountered back in the waterfall cave. Looking closely at the body, they saw an uncanny resemblance to the tail of Shyren, and the mold-covered head was just like Moldbygg from the waterfall as well.

Frisk tucked the dagger away. They straightened their back, cleared their throat, and began to hum a tune that they remembered Shyren singing. Instantly, the amalgamate stopped its advance.

It seemed to be listening intently, and, for a moment, the head closed its mouth. Confused, Chara glanced back and forth between Frisk and the monster, as if wondering about which one of them was crazier.

When Frisk had finished humming the melody, the body had ceased moving, but the arm and the head still looked like they were active. Frisk took a step towards the creature and then pulled up the sleeve of their sweater, exposing their arm. Remembering how they had engaged in a flexing match with Aaron, they turned to the amalgamate and made a flex as well. As they expected, the monster's bulging arm flexed in response. There was only the head left, which was still salivating and looked ready to crunch down on them at any moment.

"Frisk! What are you doing...?" Chara said, a dumbfounded expression on their face.

"Just watch."

Frisk stretched out their arms, as if they were about to give it a hug. The amalgamate's head began to gnash its teeth. But, instead of walking towards the amalgamate, Frisk took a step back, arms still outstretched. A second later, the mouth-face of the amalgamate stopped salivating. Every part of its mashed-together body appeared pacified. Its eyes opened again, and there was a calm look in them now. Slowly, the Amalgamate began to turn around. Then, it started to slither back down the hall, disappearing eventually into the pit that was in the next room.

"What was that?" Chara demanded.

"That monster was just a mixture of three other monsters that I met a while ago," Frisk responded, smiling. "I knew that I didn't really have to fight it. All of them wanted something, and I showed it to them, so they became happy again."

Chara rolled their eyes and turned their nose up, appearing indignant. "Figures. Even in a hellhole like this, you're willing to find ways to avoid fighting. You're forever the same, Frisk."

"Well, it's much better than killing them, right...?"

Chara folded their arms and turned away.

Having learned about the plight of the first human that had fallen into the underground and of the king's deceased son, Asriel, Frisk had begun to understand better the nature of their situation. Everyone in the monster world was waiting for them, the seventh human, to be slain by Asgore so that Asgore could use the human souls that they had collected to take down the barrier. The monsters at the capital didn't reveal the name of the first human, but Frisk had an inkling that it was Chara.

They had dreamt, during their stay in Toriel's home and after falling down onto another bed of flowers at the waterfall, that they had become Chara. They had heard the king's voice telling them to stay determined, as well as the voice of a much younger boy greeting them, helping them up, and taking them into the king's castle...

Frisk extended a hand towards Chara. Somehow, the first human had come back, and they were now attached to each other. They didn't understand why, or how – but, knowing how much Chara had suffered, they wanted to offer their help. Even if Chara couldn't see eye to eye with them on anything, they still wanted for them to be able to work together. They wanted Chara to be happy.

"Come on," Frisk said. "Let's keep going."

Chara looked up at them, still frowning. "You want me to take your hand?"

"Why not? I'll feel safer going through here if you walk by my side."

"Ha. I don't think anyone's ever said before that they feel safer standing next to me."

Nevertheless, Chara took Frisk's hand. "You're a complete wimp, Frisk."

"That's all right."

Together, they walked back into the room that Frisk had been in before, where they had first encountered that amalgamate. There was a large pit in the middle of this room, and hovering about it was a massive metal device shaped like a monster's skull. To Frisk, the device looked rather disturbing, but Chara smiled when they saw it.

"Alphys knows how to design a good looking robot," Chara said with a grin. "I wonder what she used it for?"

"We might find out soon."

Frisk looked around. There was a path directly forward that the amalgamate had been blocking before, but they could also turn right and head into another room. They decided to go there first.

To their surprise, the inside of that room looked like a rather cozy lounge. There were shelves holding several tapes and a large television in between them.

An odd expression came over Chara's face as soon as they saw the tapes. They appeared somewhat ambivalent between smiling and scowling. Chara let go of Frisk's hand and walked towards the shelves, where they picked out several of the tapes. Then, they moved in front of the television's VCR, where – for a while – they stood silently with the tapes in their arms.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked.

Chara dipped their chin and stared at the VCR in front of them. Instead of responding to Frisk, they knelt towards the floor and inserted one of the tapes into the machine. Then, they turned on the television.

The tape began to play audio, but nothing was shown on the screen.

"Okay, Chara, are you ready?" It was a familiar voice. "Do your creepy face! AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on…what!? You're not gonna do it again…? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!"

Wordlessly, Chara took out the current tape and put in another one. This time, an image began to play on the screen. It showed two children, each dressed in a green sweater with a yellow stripe. They were standing in a garden, surrounded by tall yellow flowers. One of the children was a little goat, and he began to speak.

"Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on…ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason! Hee hee hee! What? Oh, yeah. I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter…but we accidentally put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did…um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera…? Okay."

Frisk stepped into the room to stand behind Chara. In each of the tapes, the goat child's – Asriel's – voice was shrill and loud, but Chara always spoke too quietly for the recording to pick up what they had been saying.

Chara didn't turn around, and continued to put in another tape.

"I…I don't like this idea, Chara. Wh…what? N-no, I'm not…big kids don't cry. Yeah, you're right. No! I'd never doubt you, Chara...never! Y… yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers."

The expression on Chara's face had changed, again. Now, they looked almost somber. They knelt down again, this time very slowly, and put in one more tape. The television revealed Chara, the child, lying on the bed with a deathly sick expression on their face.

"Chara...can you hear me?" Toriel's voice. "We want you to wake up…"

"Chara! You have to stay determined!" A deeper, older man's voice. "You can't give up…you are the future of humans and monsters…"

"Psst…Chara…please…wake up…I don't like this plan anymore." Asriel's voice again. "I… I...no, I said…I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six…and we'll do it together, right?"

The tape finished.

Chara didn't stand up. They remained kneeling on the ground as they took it out from the VCR. Frisk remained frozen, unsure of what to do or say. None of the monsters at the capital had said anything about this.

They were starting to understand what had really happened.

"Frisk," Chara said at last, their tone soft and choked, "Leave me. I want to stay here for a while."

"Chara..."

"Leave me alone, Frisk," Chara said, turning around to glare at them. Tears were beginning to form in Chara's eyes.

Frisk didn't know what they could do. This was unlike anything they had ever dealt with before – anything that they had fixed just by being kind, or empathic, or by doing a good deed. They could only nod and turn away, for Chara's sake.

"Do what you have to do here," Chara said as Frisk began to leave the room. "Then, find me again...at the waterfall, where all the little pond bridges are."

"All right."

Chara turned to face them. "Stay safe, okay?"

Frisk nodded.


	6. Chara's Confession

After leaving Alphys' lab, Frisk took the boat from a mysterious hooded ferryman to arrive back inside the waterfall cave. They wondered about why Chara would ask to meet them here, of all places. Traversing through the dark, winding paths of the cave reminded them awfully of the many times that Undyne had tried to kill them with her barrage of spears. They were friends with Undyne now, so they didn't need to worry about that again – but they would have preferred to meet someplace less dangerous, like Snowdin, or the MTT resort.

The sound of soft, trickling water from the ponds around the path helped calm their mind. There was a fresh and pleasant smell in the air that reminded them of the aftermath of a spring rainfall back on the surface. They had walked to the part of the cave that was like a marsh. The path here was surrounded by a maze of ponds and streams. A strange teal luminescence emitted out of the water, lending the walls of the cave an eerie glow. Tall cattails and blue echo flowers grew along the banks of the stream, the latter of which filled the air with their distant conversations.

They found Chara, eventually, sitting on a little wooden bridge that passed over one of the streams.

"Greetings," Chara said when Frisk arrived. "It took you a while to get here."

Frisk waved back, but Chara looked away.

"I had to talk with Alphys," Frisk replied. They still spoke quietly when they talked to Chara, preferring to be reserved.

When Chara didn't respond, Frisk sat down beside them. The bridge was very low, and they had to take off their shoes and let their feet dangle into the water. The stream was cool and shallow. It was relaxing feeling the water brushing against their feet and sifting softly through their toes.

Frisk looked up at the ceiling. As usual, it was lit up by a plethora of glow worms, and also by the light that emitted from the streams. The pinpoint glows were so much like little stars.

"You came from the surface, right, Chara?" Frisk spoke up. "Then, you must've seen the stars before, too."

"I have," Chara answered. "But, I try not to think much about it."

Frisk turned to face them. "Why not?"

"I...I've never liked the surface," Chara said. They stared down into the water with a glum expression. "I've always hated the human world. I wanted to escape from it. And, for a while, I wanted to destroy it."

They turned back to Frisk. "It probably isn't the same with you. You probably have trouble hating anything or anyone."

"Well..."

"Why did you even come down here?" Chara asked, raising their voice.

Frisk looked away from Chara's eyes. They kicked their feet through the water, making small splashes in an attempt to distract themselves. It was difficult for them to give an honest answer to that question. In truth, they didn't even know if there was an answer.

"I can't say," Frisk finally replied. This elicited a mean glare from Chara, and Frisk found themselves turning their face further away.

"What do you mean by that?" Chara demanded.

"I mean – well – it's not like I wanted to leave everything behind. But, at the same time, I wanted to explore someplace new, and maybe discover something nobody's ever seen before." A small smile started to spread across their face. "I guess I ended up finding more than I would have ever expected by climbing that mountain."

Chara folded their arms. "So, you don't regret falling down that hole?"

"I guess not," Frisk said. "What about you, Chara?"

"Me?"

For a few seconds, Chara closed their eyes and leaned back, pressing the palms of their hands against the floor of the bridge. They breathed in and out deeply. Slowly, their expression started to change. Their face became calm, and they started to smile in a wistful way, as if they were remembering something fondly. When they opened their eyes again, Frisk saw that the look in them had become distant – almost melancholic.

"How ironic. I can't give you a straight answer, either," Chara said with a short laugh. "Coming to the underground was both my best and worst decision."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what happened," Chara continued. "The son of the monster king, Asriel, found me, and their family took me in. They treated me like I was their own child."

Again, Chara's expression became glum, and their voice grew softer.

"But I betrayed them. You saw the tapes, Frisk. I wanted revenge on the humans, and I found the means to do it through Asriel. All I needed to do was die, and then Asriel could take my soul and cross the barrier. We'd kill six human souls together, and then – and then, we would've been able to shatter the barrier and free all the monsters."

Frisk stared at Chara, remaining silent. Something in the tone of Chara's voice had changed. It wasn't so fierce and resentful anymore. Something – it felt like a hint of sadness – was welling up within Chara's words.

"It was the perfect plan. Asriel and I could've saved the underground together. But, Asriel, he – he didn't listen to me. He didn't want to kill anybody. Because of him, our plan failed."

Chara pulled their legs up against their body and sank their head into their knees. There was a marked shift in their mood. Their voice became choked and muffled.

"We both paid the ultimate price. I could sense, even when I was in Asriel's body, that our failure would crush the hopes of every monster living in the underground kingdom. It meant that everything that I worked for would amount to nothing. Worst of all, it meant that I would be letting my family down – Asriel's family, who treated me better than any human ever did."

Chara brushed their head against their arms. Looking carefully, Frisk saw a streak of something wet against the sleeve of Chara's sweater. They had wiped away tears.

"Asriel, Toriel, Asgore – they believed in me, and I failed them."

Gradually, Chara raised their head again. They leaned forward, staring down at their reflection in the water.

"I was so confident," Chara said, their voice now a whisper. "I wasn't even afraid to die. Poisoning myself – letting my physical body expire – that wasn't the most painful part."

They turned to Frisk with tearstained and bloodshot eyes.

"The worst came when I realized that my soul would disappear forever once Asriel died. All of a sudden, I realized that I had nothing – nothing anymore."

"I wanted to scream, the instant before everything went dark. I felt so lonely. I was going to go to a place where there was nobody and no feeling, forever. I'd never feel the comfort of having another person close beside me again, or a person say that they cared about me, or, or–"

Frisk reached towards Chara and placed a firm hand on Chara's shoulder. Chara looked up at them, sniffing.

"Chara. You're not dead anymore," Frisk said. "I'm here for you."

They could feel Chara's body shaking, but they held on tightly. They realized, for the first time, that they were Chara's source of comfort. They were together, sharing a soul, without which Chara would descend into the void again – a void of non-feeling despair and complete emptiness. They would never let Chara fall back there.

"I-I suppose," Chara responded finally.

Frisk placed their arms around Chara's back and brought them together in a close embrace. They moved their hand up and down Chara's back, comforting them. Tears fell from Chara's eyes. Gently, Frisk pressed the side of their face against Chara's cheek. Against themselves, Chara felt warm and soft. They were definitely alive.

"You're here with me now. I won't let you go."

"F-frisk. I don't deserve this."

"You deserve it more than anyone I know."

Chara took a deep breath. "Y-you know that night, back at Snowdin Town?"

"Yeah."

"That was the night that I first got my body back. I reached out for you because I wanted to feel someone's embrace again. I'm...sorry, if that was unwarranted."

"It's okay."

"I was angry. I felt like the world gave me a soul again only so that it could make me suffer more. That's why I wanted to kill everyone...that's why I kept telling you to murder people."

Slowly, Chara pulled away from Frisk.

"Thank you," they said quietly. "But I can't stay with you yet. I've done something horrible. There's still someone that I – no, we need to help."

Frisk nodded. "You mean...?"

"Asriel."

Chara stood up and turned to face the other end of the bridge.

"I think...I think I'm ready," they said. "I'm ready to face Asgore. You've made lots of good friends, right? Together, we can maybe convince him not to fight us. And then...we can deal with Asriel."

Chara turned towards Frisk. There was a new look in their eyes now. They were no longer so dark and malicious. They were shining, full of hope – full of determination.

"When you fight Asriel, I'll be here with you," Chara said. "We'll save him together."

"Yes. Let's do it."

As they walked away from the bridge, Frisk began to hear echoes around them. It was the sounds of their own voices. Their conversation was being replayed, over and over again, by all the echo flowers that grew in the waterfall cave. They picked out, from amongst them all, Chara's voice -

"We'll save him together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard chapter for me to write. Looking back on it...I think it feels a little bit rushed. I always feel that my writing lacks something - a core emotion, some feeling that I had envisioned it to have, but found it lacking when I read over everything. I suppose I can get better at expressing these emotions only through practice. In the meantime, thank you for your reviews and comments, and as always, I'd appreciate more! =)


	7. Hopes and Dreams

Frisk felt as if they were falling down into an endless void. Bright, dazzling colours flashed chaotically around them. The figure of a tall, menacing goat monster loomed above them with twisted horns and black eyes. It wore a dark dress with the delta rune symbol emblazoned upon it, much like Toriel's.

It was Asriel Dreemurr.

Before this, Frisk had walked to the throne room of the capital and confronted Asgore, only to have their fight stopped short by the sudden arrival of Toriel. Then, all of their other friends came as well, and together, they resolved to stop Asgore from killing them and taking their soul – only for them to be interrupted by Flowey, the very first creature that they had met after falling into the underground. With a mysterious power, Flowey stole the souls of every monster in the underground kingdom and revealed his true form: Asriel.

Frisk waved their arms and legs around as they fell, trying to regain their balance. It was difficult to position themselves in any way while floating through this void. Their body felt like that of a puppet's, and Asriel was the puppet master, who controlled the entirety of the reality that they had become sealed within.

"Give up," Asriel said, his voice resonating infinitely across the void. "You can't stop me."

Asriel raised his arm. Something like a bright light began to envelope his hand, and then – moments later – his fingers became surrounded by a swirling wave of magic. He threw his arm into the air, and the magic transformed into a massive star-shaped figure, pulsating with gleaming light. Asriel swung his hand forward, and the star flew towards Frisk.

Like all the monsters' attacks, the star targeted Frisk's soul instead of their physical form. There was no damage to their body. However, they knew – from experience – that attacks to the soul were arguably worse. As the star exploded on them, they felt as if their mind was becoming crushed. Emotions like fear, pain, loneliness, and despair started to take control. They struck directly at their determination, undermining their will to fight, their will to continue living. If they succumbed to it, then their soul would be destroyed, and their physical body would become an empty husk.

They could only hold on to the hope that, if they tried hard enough, they could convince Asriel to stop attacking them. To become their old self again.

"Your determination. Your 'power' that led you this far – it's going to become your downfall!"

Asriel raised both arms into the air. Streaks of light manifested out of the void and surrounded his body. Several of them coalesced together, spinning around his fingers at an unimaginable speed until they formed a current. Then, Asriel pointed a finger forward. An instant later, the multi-coloured current blasted Frisk's heart.

If their soul was a body, then it was as if it had just been struck by lightning. Frisk felt their mind exploding. They couldn't even control their thoughts anymore. A million negative emotions flooded through their mind, poisoning their determination and weakening their resolve. The pain was unbearable. They tried to raise their arms, to grab their head – they tried to open their mouth, to scream, but they couldn't control their body, or even a single fibre of their being.

All the while, Asriel Dreemurr floated above them, laughing and taunting them, urging them to give up – and "reset" already.

Frisk tried to close their eyes. They were frozen in shock from the power of Asriel's attacks. It had overcome them completely, and had perhaps destroyed their very sense of self. All of their feelings and emotions were fading away. Perhaps, this time, they had truly failed, because their determination wasn't enough. No matter how they tried, they simply didn't have the willpower to defeat Asriel. Their soul was cracking, splitting in half, about to disintegrate into nothingness, fading away into the abyss...

But it refused.

They turned their head around, having suddenly regained their ability to move. A warmth, like the essence of determination itself, was beginning to spread throughout their soul again. Where there was darkness in their soul before, it was being replaced by light, by resolve, by willpower, by the ability to persist even in the face of tremendous adversity.

For a brief moment, a look of disbelief came over Asriel's face. Then, he raised his arm, and – again – a gleaming star appeared above it, this time accompanied also by the multi-coloured current. He threw the star forward, and Frisk braced themselves for the impact.

Frisk closed their eyes, waiting for the moment to come.

Seconds passed, and they were sure that they would have already been struck by the attack, but the pain never came.

They opened their eyes again. There was that warmth in their soul again, the warmth that was like the pure feeling of hope, and it rejuvenated their entire being, their determination. Looking around, they saw no star, no gleaming currents of magic. The last attack had happened as fast as lightning, and had blasted them with similarly as much power. But, this time, the attack had just disappeared completely, or – if it had hit – it had given them nothing but a renewed and even stronger sense of resolve.

A realization came, suddenly, that the growing warmth in their soul wasn't just spiritual or emotional. They felt as if their body was being held by a familiar presence.

Slowly, Frisk turned their head and realized who it was. Chara was standing behind them, holding them within their arms. They felt Chara's firm hands clasped against their chest and Chara's soft, warm face pressed against their cheek. It came to them why Chara was with them. Their newfound determination wasn't just their alone. It was their determination combined with Chara's. Together, they had the ability to prevent their soul from shattering. Together, they had the resolve to save Asriel.

Chara opened their eyes and let go of Frisk. They stepped through the void towards Asriel.

"Chara?" Asriel said, his voice beginning to tremble.

"Asriel, it's me," Chara shouted back. "You remember me, right?"

A look of uncertainty came over Asriel's eyes. Then, he shook his head and raised his hand again. Lightning crackled upon his fingertips.

"Chara, move out of the way," Asriel said, turning his eyes back onto Frisk. "Move, so that I can destroy them!"

"Don't hurt them!" Chara yelled back. "Asriel, that's Frisk! They haven't done anything wrong. If there's anybody that's done wrong to you, it's me!"

Asriel froze. "Chara..."

"I'm sorry!" Chara said, extending out their hands. "Asriel, it was all my fault. Your death. The loss of your soul. Your imprisonment – everything! I'm sorry for everything!"

Once again, Asriel appeared conflicted. For a few seconds, his eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. Then, to Frisk's surprise, Asriel threw his head back and laughed. It was a coarse and disturbing laugh, full of anger. Asriel raised his arm again. An even bigger bolt of magic materialized upon his fingertips, and it shot out towards Chara.

An instant later, Chara fell onto the floor. The magic current enveloped their body, causing their soul to be flooded with fear and despair. Frisk could feel it, too. Their soul was shared in some sense, and a fraction of Chara's pain was transferred onto them.

Mustering up their strength, Frisk thew their body through the void, aiming for Chara. As soon as they reached Chara, the pain in their body doubled as the magic attack began to target their own soul. Like lightning, the magic coursed through them, erasing all of their feelings of hope and replacing them with pure anguish. For a split second, their mind was overwhelmed with terror.

But, then, holding on to Chara, it was as if the strength within them could never fade. No matter how powerful the attack, their soul felt like a bastion of safety – a well from which they could always find hope, and where their determination could never fade. Instantly, they were able to move and speak again, and the magic attack faded. They pulled on Chara's shoulder, and Chara turned around, nodding at them. They were together again. Together, it was impossible for their soul to be destroyed.

Frisk and Chara stood up together. Even as they floated through the void, they were somehow able to find their footing. Then, leaning upon each other's shoulders, they began to walk towards Asriel.

"Stop!" Asriel said. Blinding lights flashed around him. They coalesced once more into beams of magic, and all were launched towards them at once.

There was an instant of pain, an instant of despair, but their soul refused to break. The magic attack disappeared as soon as it hit them, and they continued walking towards Asriel.

"Do you know why I do this...?" Asriel said. His voice was quivering. "Why I keep fighting to keep to keep you around?"

Another blast of magic. Another moment of pain, but it was all gone as soon as it came.

"I'm doing this...Chara, because you're the only one who understands me," Asriel continued. "You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore."

"No...that's not just it. I...I...I'm doing this because I care about Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!"

Frisk raised their head. They were close to Asriel now. Just moments away from reaching them. If they took just another step forward...

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave! I'm not ready to say goodbye to somebody like you again..."

"So, please, just stop doing this, and LET ME WIN!"

Asriel raised both of his arms. An immensely bright wave of light materialized between them, forming an arc of pure magic. Frisk lifted up their hand, reaching for Asriel. The arc shot forward, blasting them with a strength that they had never felt before.

It was the most powerful attack they had ever felt. The magic arc pierced their soul, blasting the very essence of their being with an incomprehensible force. Even the power of determination seemed to crumble before its absolute power, and they thought that – at any second – their soul would crack, it would break, it would collapse. They closed their eyes, striving with all their strength to resist this power.

"STOP IT NOW!" Asriel shrieked.

Frisk felt their entire body shaking. Their soul was on the verge of destruction. Any moment now, and their soul would turn to dust, their body fading away along with it.

But then they turned around. Another hand was reaching out for Asriel. Chara's hand. Chara was pushing against the exact same power that was striking them right now, and their shared soul was enduring it together. Their soul felt so weak, so fragile against the pure might of Asriel's attack. Yet, it kept holding on. It kept refusing to break. At that moment, they knew that they could only move forward. With the last bit of their determination, they had to reach Asriel.

Chara's hand grabbed Frisk's, and the two of them grabbed Asriel together.

Instantly, the power striking them faded away. Even the void around them seemed to be collapsing. It flashed into a multitude of colours, and then white, and then it turned to blackness.

They were on solid ground again.

Frisk opened their eyes. There was a new person standing in front of them. A different person. It was a small goat boy, so unlike the monster that they had fought before. He was dressed in a green sweater with a yellow stripe on it, just like Chara. There were tears in his eyes. He seemed to be trying his hardest not to cry.

"Chara. Chara...you're back. You've come back for me. You're really here," Asriel said, wiping at his eyes.

Chara reached forward and embraced Asriel tightly.

"I'm sorry about everything..." Chara whispered. "Asriel, I'm so sorry."

A single tear rolled down Chara's cheek. Then, Asriel broke down, and he started to sob. He began to cry against Chara's shoulder.

Frisk turned away. They felt a bit odd, being an onlooker to this emotional reunion.

"I don't...I don't want to leave you ever again," Asriel said in between sobs. He wrapped his arms around Chara's back, hugging them even tighter. "I want us to stay together."

"Asriel. I'll come for you, no matter where you are," Chara replied.

Frisk looked at Chara curiously, wondering what they meant by that.

"Do you mean it?" Asriel asked.

"Yes. I won't leave you again like I did before."

Chara pulled away from Asriel a little. Then, they pointed to the distance, where – beyond the blackness of the void – there was something glowing. A barrier.

"Frisk," Chara said, turning to face them.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to stay with Asriel for a little bit longer." They lowered their eyes. "When you wake up, you'll be with your friends again. I won't be here with you. But, don't go looking for me. Go out to the surface. I'll come find you myself."

Frisk nodded. "I understand."

"Frisk," Asriel said suddenly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I don't think I can do anything to make up for it."

"It's all right," Frisk replied. They tried their best to smile, but it turned out to be rather corny.

"Frisk. Come here," Chara said.

Frisk walked towards Chara, and they found themselves being pulled into a tight hug with Chara and Asriel.

They remained in that embrace for what seemed like a very long time. Frisk didn't want to leave, and they knew that they didn't, either. But, slowly, they felt themselves closing their eyes. The world around them seemed to slowly fade away. It wasn't like before, when their soul was being attacked. This time, it was like they were gently drifting off to sleep.

They thought they heard a voice telling them that everything was going to be fine. Then, there were a multitude of other, still familiar voices, and they seemed to be urging them to wake up.


	8. A New Life

Warm golden sunlight streaked across the sky. The dusk sun, surrounded by clouds, was just dim enough to look at without stinging the eyes. It was slowly descending behind the horizon. There was a vast forest beneath the cliffs, and they stretched to the shores of the ocean. In the distance, Frisk spotted a small cluster of villages beside the shore. They had come to Mount Ebott from one of them, but that village – and their old house there – seemed so distant now, as if it was from a past life.

All their friends, with the exception of Toriel, had left to begin forging new relations with the humans. Before leaving the underground, Frisk had went back as far as Snowdin Town to talk to all of the people that they had made friends with. All of them were happy that the barrier was gone, and even the amalgamates from Alphys' lab had found happiness from being reunited with their families. However, no matter how hard they searched, they were unable to find Chara or Asriel. Eventually, they gave up and decided to go on ahead to the surface, as Chara had instructed them to do so.

It was going to be interesting to see how the humans would react to the return of monsters into their world. They had declined to be the ambassador for the monsters, and Papyrus had offered to take up the role. Perhaps, after meeting Papyrus, the humans would think that all monsters were goofy and innocent instead of the terror that they had always been reputed to be. This wasn't true, of course, and it would take time for both sides to understand each other and achieve peace. The important thing, according to Toriel, was to avoid another war.

Frisk looked up at Toriel, who towered above them. She was at least twice their size. Toriel smiled back at Frisk, a particularly goat-mom type of smile where she opened her mouth and revealed her teeth in a non-threatening manner.

Earlier, they had told her that they had decided to live with her instead of returning to their old village.

"We will find a nice, comfortable house in a peaceful neighbourhood to live in," Toriel said to Frisk, her eyes shining. "I have always wanted to be a teacher. Maybe, I will set up a school close to Mt. Ebott, and I will teach both human and monster children. It will be a good opportunity for human and monster kids to learn about each other."

Frisk nodded.

As the two of them prepared to leave, they suddenly felt a familiar presence – a presence that they had begun to grow used to now. They turned around and saw Chara in their green sweater running out of the cave exit of Mount Ebott. To their surprise, Chara was holding a little pot in their hands, and there was a small golden flower growing out of the pot.

Toriel froze completely.

Chara stopped in their tracks when they saw Toriel. Their expression became sad, and also nervous, and they slowly turned their eyes away from Toriel's gaze. Frisk, who had been holding Toriel's hand, felt Toriel's arm go limp. They glanced back and forth between the two of them, wondering which one of them was going to speak up first.

Slowly, Chara began to walk again towards Toriel. When they finally stood in front of Toriel, they placed the flower pot onto the ground and stared back up into Toriel's eyes.

"Ch...Chara?" Toriel said. Her eyes instantly became wet with tears. However, she remained frozen, and the look on her face told that she was almost incapable of comprehending what she was seeing.

"I...I-I, m-mother, it's me," Chara said at last. Their voice was so soft that even Frisk could barely hear. "Mother. I-I'm, Chara."

Toriel raised her hand, her expression still completely in disbelief. Gently, she touched Chara's face, brushing their hair out of their eyes, as if to verify that they were actually standing there in front of her. For nearly a minute, she remained silent, doing nothing but keeping her hand upon Chara's face.

"I know," Chara whispered. "Mother, I understand. You don't believe that I'm here."

"I, I buried you," Toriel responded. Her voice was shaking. "I took your body, away from the coffin that Asgore kept you in, and I buried you under the earth in the ruins where you had fallen. I buried you with my own hands."

She closed her eyes, forcing out her tears, and they streamed down her cheeks.

"I visited you every day. I watched as the flowers grew above your grave. You were my child. I could not forget about you. And yet, now...now, y-you, you..."

Toriel knelt down, but even on her knees, she was still much taller than Chara. She moved her hands down over Chara's shoulders, holding them tightly. Every once in a while, she would blink several times. Her eyes had a strange, far-off look, but – at the same time – they were completely focused.

"Chara. My child," Toriel said with a steadier tone, "I have not seen you for so many years. I cannot believe that you are back. Why are you back? No – no, I must not scare you with such a morbid question. But, perhaps, I still cannot believe my own eyes, and I want to know if this is just a trick. If returning to the surface has made me so overjoyed, that I have also started to become delirious."

Frisk raised their hand and patted Toriel on her back. "Mom," they said, unafraid of calling her that, "You aren't seeing things. Chara was with me during my whole time in the underground."

"My child," Toriel said, turning slowly away from Chara to look at Frisk, "I think I am becoming delirious. You almost never speak up, to me or to your other friends. But, now, you are talking quite normally."

She shook her head, closing her eyes again.

"I am afraid. Afraid that, if I turn around and look at you again, you will be gone, and I will realize that you were nothing more than an illusion."

Toriel lowered her head. The tears flowed freely from her eyes now.

"Maybe all of this is an illusion," she continued. "Maybe I am a crazy old lady who cannot stand her reality any longer, and I have made up everything – you, and Frisk, and all the other children who have passed through the ruins. And that we have broken the barrier and monsters have returned to the surface is a delusion, too. Perhaps I am still alone, stuck in the underground, stuck in my daily routine of going around the ruins, over and over again..."

Chara didn't look like they could take it any longer. They jumped into Toriel's arms, crying and sobbing against her.

"Mother, it's not an illusion," Chara said, sniffing. "I'm here. I'm really here. You can feel me, right, mother?"

"Chara..."

"Yes. I'm here, mother. I won't leave you again."

Chara wrapped their arms around Toriel's back, hugging her tightly. "Mother. I'm so, so sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?" Toriel asked. "I am sorry, too, Chara. I really do not understand."

In response, Chara fell to their knees and continued crying.

* * *

Some time later, Frisk, Chara, and a still-uncertain Toriel descended the mountain and made their way towards nearby human settlements, though Chara chose to avoid their own village, which still gave them too many bad memories. Eventually, they found a fishing city by the ocean which had already been visited by the other monsters (with the exception of Undyne, who took issue with the entire practice of fishing). The humans of this city had been expecting more monsters to arrive, and welcomed Toriel with open arms.

As an act of goodwill to begin amiable relations between humans and monsters, they were given a house to live in near the city port. It had a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a balcony that allowed a pleasant view of the ocean. Frisk and Chara had to share a bedroom, but there was only one bed, so Chara volunteered to purchase a futon and sleep on the floor. They placed the flower pot that Chara had brought along on a rack on the balcony, where it could receive plenty of sunlight.

Asriel seemed to be taking some time to reawaken in his flower state. None of them had told Toriel about the flower's true identity, as even Frisk had to concede that the concept was too...bizarre, and also difficult to explain. Instead, Chara made up the excuse that the golden flower was something they brought along for the sake of remembering their favourite flowers, which were not common in this city.

Neither did Chara tell Toriel about the true reason that they had died. Toriel was definitely not ready to hear something so heavy just yet.

Living beside humans again, however, brought a sense of anxiety to Chara that Frisk had not been expecting. Chara stayed home for most of the day, talking to Toriel and helping her with chores around the house. Frisk would go out and explore, as they liked to do, as well as to buy groceries. There were news every day about the monsters returning to the surface world, and – for the most part – humans reacted to them peacefully. They were now more fascinated than scared of the monsters, and welcomed them into every city. A few human leaders even offered apologies for the war that had happened so long ago.

All of that, however, was of little concern to Toriel, who just wanted to start her own school for monster and human children. She spent a bit of time every day drafting up a curriculum and reading her old books.

One day, Frisk arrived home and went upstairs to their room, where they found Chara sitting on their bed, knitting. They sat down beside Chara and watched.

"What are you making?" Frisk asked.

Chara glanced up at them, and then returned to looking at the needles in their hands.

"A sweater. For mother."

"Oh."

There came a knock on the door. Chara stopped knitting and placed the needles into their lap. "Come in."

The door opened, and Toriel appeared. She was so tall that she had to duck her head just to enter the room, and even then, her horns knocked against the top of the door frame. In her hands were two plates with pies on both of them. Chocolate pie for Chara, and butterscotch-cinnamon pie for Frisk.

"Hello, my children," Toriel said, smiling as she put the two plates down by their feet. The pies smelled delicious, and Frisk felt their mouth beginning to water.

"Hi, mom," Frisk replied, waving at her. Chara did the same. Then, both grabbed their plates.

"Chara. It has been a while since you went out," Toriel said. "Perhaps you should go and explore the city a bit with Frisk. It is not good for you to stay in your room for so long."

"...Maybe," Chara replied, with their usual indifferent demeanour. "Let me finish knitting first."

"Oh, all right." Toriel turned around, nearly banging her horns against the ceiling of the room. "I will be making dinner soon. Please go out for a breath of fresh air before we eat."

"Yes, mother."

Once Toriel had left, Chara picked up their needles and began knitting again. Frisk started to eat their pie.

"We can head down to the beach, if you'd like," Frisk said. "Have you ever swam before?"

Chara shook their head. "No, I haven't."

"Well, maybe I can teach you."

"Frisk." Chara paused their knitting and lowered their eyes. "I don't want to. I really don't want to go too near to other people. If I do, then, sometimes...I start to think about certain things again, and certain impulses come along."

They put the needles back into their lap and turned to look at Frisk directly.

"You know how I used to be. I'm hardly what you would call a well-behaved child. Less than a month ago, I was still vicious. Still violent. It's...hard, sometimes, for me to restrain my thoughts." They leaned forward, placing their elbows against their knees, and cupped their chin with the palms of their hands. "To be honest, I still hate people. I...I still can't forgive myself, either, for doing what I did, for...killing myself, just so that I could gain the power to wipe out humanity."

"It's okay. That isn't you anymore."

"But it used to be." Chara began to look glum. "I don't know why I acted the way I did. Toriel – mother, I mean, and her family, they treated me so well. Even though it was so long ago, I remember that I had felt happy living with them in the underground. Happier than I've ever been when I lived amongst humans."

"There's a part of me that I don't like," Chara continued after a brief pause. "It's a part that, no matter what I do, always feels empty. It's like...I'm always restless, I always need to achieve something, I always need to feel purposeful. Even when my new family showered me with love and cared for me and gave me everything that the humans didn't, I couldn't stop myself from feeling this persistent emptiness."

"In the end, I became...self-destructive, in an attempt to satisfy this part of myself that could never be satisfied. I think that's why I ended up doing what I did. I was so selfish, and only thought of my own feelings, never realizing how much I had hurt the people who truly cared about me until it was too late..."

Chara picked up their needles and began knitting again. "I don't want to become like that again. Ever. So, I try to keep myself in check, by avoiding other people. If I go out again, where there's so many people around, who knows what could happen?"

Frisk was silent for a while. They watched Chara knit, thinking over everything that Chara had said, and trying to figure what they could say to give reassurance..

"Chara. You don't have to live like that," Frisk said.

"Huh?"

"You don't have to close yourself off, just because you're afraid of hurting other people. No one can really shut away their feelings, even if they believe that those feelings are unacceptable. I guess, what I'm saying, is that – I want you to feel proud of yourself, Chara. Not for what you did in the past, but because you deserve to feel proud – because you deserve the right to be happy, and no one should ever take that away from you."

"And, to start, you can open yourself up to people." Frisk made a corny grin. "I'm sure that there are at least two people on this planet who really care about you, and they will always be willing to listen to your feelings."

Chara turned and stared down at the floor. After a while, they started to laugh quietly. It was, however, a genuine laugh.

"Okay. Well, Frisk, I'm opening up to you," Chara said. "I really haven't told anyone else what I've just said to you."

They looked up, sighing, and placed their knitting needles to the side on the bed.

"Thanks, Frisk," Chara whispered. "I think...I think, you're the first, umm, human that I've really liked. You're not like the other humans that I've met throughout my life at all. You're kind, and...I guess, you're the only person who's ever truly understood me."

To Frisk's surprise, Chara leaned towards them.

"I...I suppose, all I can say, is – thank you, Frisk."

Gently, Chara kissed Frisk on the cheek.

Frisk stared back into Chara's eyes, blushing.

"Ah...thanks?"

In a way, they found Chara to be quite pretty looking. There was something charming about the way that Chara's eyes always seemed to be a little red. They were mysterious, in that sense. They were reminded of the night that they first met Chara, at Snowdin Town, where they had felt compelled to listen to Chara, even though Chara was hardly the nicest person back then. They were even closer now, and – it was strange to think about – but, could Chara have always felt drawn towards them as well?

In return, Frisk gave Chara a hug. Then, they closed they eyes and mustered up the strength – no, the determination – to say something ridiculous, something to make Chara laugh. Perhaps, they could even get Chara to go outside for a change.

"Say, Chara. Want to go on a date?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very fun to write. As for the plot, it's slowly wrapping up. I hope I've transitioned from in-game Undertale events to post-Undertale events in a realistic manner.


	9. Date with Chara

"Where are the two of you going?"

"We're getting lunch, mom," Frisk replied. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."

Toriel appeared surprised. She was standing in the kitchen, washing a basket full of vegetables. "Chara agreed to go out for lunch with you?"

"Yeah. It's shocking, isn't it?" They winked.

"All right. Please be safe."

Frisk turned around and closed the door. Chara stood in front of them with an impatient look on their face.

"Why didn't you just tell her that we're going on a date?" Chara asked. "You've already had the audacity to flirt with her. Do you think she'd be that surprised if you said that you were dating me?"

"No, but she'd probably be surprised that you said yes," Frisk responded, smiling quirkily.

"...I suppose that's true."

Chara had agreed to eat at a restaurant which reputably served an abundance of chocolate desserts. The restaurant was located near the city port. From their house, they turned right onto a street that led down a hill towards the beach.

At the current time of day, noon, the streets of the city were swarming with people. Chara became anxious, and they kept their head lowered as they walked closely beside Frisk. A few blocks down the street was the urban centre of the city. It was a bustling place, full of crowds and cars. Tall buildings surrounded the streets. There were open food stalls and markets where people hollered loudly about their prices. Only a few monsters were amongst the crowds, and they were always being scrutinized by the humans.

"Hey, Chara. If you walk with your head down like that, you're going to bump into somebody."

"I want to get out of here," Chara replied, raising their head only slightly to look at Frisk. "It's too crowded and noisy."

"Don't worry. We'll reach the restaurant soon."

Once they had passed through the urban centre, the street cleared up and became wider as it led to the bottom of the hill. The beach and the ocean came into sight. In front of them was gleaming white sand and a horizon of blue. A distant but calming sound of ocean waves could be heard, alongside the crying of seagulls. The wind carried a pleasant sea breeze towards them.

The neighbourhood around the beach was filled with resorts and eateries. Eventually, they found the building that they were looking for: a restaurant named "Seaside Desserts."

Despite it being noon, it was dark and quiet inside. A pianist played soft music in the background, and portraits of nature on the wall lent the place a calm atmosphere. Smells of confectionary filled the air, along with the slightly salty tinge of seafood.

Frisk and Chara sat down at a table in a corner of the room. A waited arrived with their menu. They browsed through it silently until both of them had decided on what they wanted to get.

"Can you tell the waiter to get me this?" Chara said, pointing to an item on the menu. "The chocolate syrup-coated strawberry-flavour kiwi-topped ice cream-stuffed flan?"

"...Isn't that the most expensive item on the menu?" Frisk said. Their eyes grew wide when they saw price listed beneath it. "Chara, that's probably too much for you to eat alone."

Chara made an indignant face. "Maybe we can just order this, and then share it?"

Frisk had wanted to order a Sea Tea-flavoured sundae, but they decided to go along with Chara's suggestion. "Okay. We can do that."

They gave their order and waited for the dish to arrive.

* * *

Frisk's phone rang. They took it out of their pocket and saw that the caller was Alphys.

"Give me a moment," they said to Chara, before getting out of their seat.

They looked around the restaurant, trying to find a place where they could talk without being overheard. The phone continued to ring. They decided, finally, on just going to the washroom. Luckily, there was no one inside, so they locked the door and answered the call.

"U-umm, h-hello, Frisk?" Alphys said, her voice as nervous and timid as usual.

"Right. Hi, Alphys," Frisk responded.

"W-well, I did some research on the questions that you asked me the other day, and I think I have the answers now."

"Really?! Okay, tell me!"

"Y-yes. To start, the good news is...Chara will be fine. They won't be disappearing any time soon."

"Oh, thank you! That's great to hear!"

Someone turned the knob of the washroom door, then walked away upon realizing that it was locked. Frisk glanced at the door, wondering if that person could hear them. They retreated to the back of the washroom and toned down their voice.

"So, do you want me to explain why?" Alphys asked.

"Yeah, definitely."

For a few seconds, there was no response. Then, they heard Alphys exhale, and her voice came back:

"S-so, you know how human souls are very different from monster souls, right? All human souls exhibit the property of having a unique colour. From what I've studied, the closer a soul is to having the red colour, the more determination it is capable of containing. M-moreover, because of their ability to persist for a while after death, it seems that human souls have the potential to linger within the former person's essence – under very special conditions, that is."

"Toriel told me that she buried Chara at the place inside the ruins where the two of you both fell. She must have given Chara a monster's burial, spreading Chara's essence into the ground, where the golden flowers now grow. M-my hypothesis is that, due to Chara's strong determination, some of their soul still remained where they were buried. Now, Frisk, I-I think you must also have a red soul. It's the only explanation that I can think of to rationalize why Chara came back."

"When you fell onto the flowers, your soul must have come into contact with what remained of Chara's. Because of your soul's colour, you were able to transfer some of your determination into Chara's essence. W-with monsters, umm, we know that what happens next is that they will start to come back, b-but, uh, in the form of a shambling corpse." Alphys laughed nervously. "B-but! It doesn't work that way for humans! I think, because of a human's soul ability to linger for so long, there was also a bilateral transfer of determination from Chara back to your soul, allowing Chara's essence to be reborn within you."

It dawned on Frisk that that was exactly what must have happened back then to cause them to start hearing Chara's thoughts inside their own mind.

"But, as for how Chara was able to get their own body back again – well, that's a bit more complicated. I think, when Chara was reborn within your soul, they slowly started to gain a separate consciousness as well. W-with that consciousness, and the combined determination from their and your soul, they were able to call a 'reset'. Except, instead of resetting the whole world, they were only able to reset themselves – because they were still sharing your soul, and it's probably impossible for an entity without a unique soul to reset themselves back to a point where it had one. So, all they could do was get their own body back, with the two of you sharing the same soul."

"That makes sense!" Frisk replied. "The first time I saw Chara was in the inn at Snowdin Town. They just...appeared out of nowhere, even though there was supposed to be no one else in that room."

"Oh!" Alphys exclaimed. "Well, uh, I guess my theory's consistent, then! Eh-heh-heh!"

"Thanks, Alphys. What about Asriel?"

"W-well, uh, Asriel's harder, because he doesn't have a soul, and monster souls aren't as, well, as persistent as humans'. B-but! I'll keep doing research! Even if Asriel has to remain a flower, I'll find some way for him to have feelings again!"

"All right. Thank you so much, Alphys! I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, u-uhh, ha, it's nothing, really, Frisk!"

"No, really – thank, you!"

"Ah...heh-heh, heh..."

"I have to get back to Chara, now. We're eating lunch out at a restaurant. Mind if I talk to you later?"

"Oh, s-sure! Okay, bye, Frisk!"

"Bye, Alphys!"

When Frisk came back to the table, they saw that their order had arrived, and Chara had already started eating the flan. Chara turned to look at them with a guilty expression on their face. They quickly chewed and swallowed the food in their mouth.

"Sorry. You were gone for a while, and I was hungry..."

Frisk sat down and smiled. "That's fine."

"If you don't mind me asking – who were you talking to?"

"Just...a friend," Frisk replied. They grabbed a fork and a knife and dug into the flan.

It was delicious. The ice cream stuffing within the cake was exquisite, and the chocolate syrup coating made their mouth water more with every bite. As delicious as monster food and Toriel's cooking was, they always seemed to go down too fast, never giving them the chance to savour their taste. Human food, on the other hand, was something to eat and enjoy at one's preferred pace. They ate until they felt the the food becoming stuck in their throat, and they had to pause to allow themselves time to swallow.

"H-hey, Chara," Frisk said, wincing as they swallowed, "Want the kiwi?"

Chara stared at the little green fruit on top of the flan. "You don't want it?"

"I think I'm out of commission for a while."

"Okay. I'll take it."

Chara reached out with their fork for the kiwi, but Frisk intercepted them. They stared at Frisk curiously as Frisk cut off the portion of the flan containing the kiwi with their knife. Frisk placed the piece onto their fork, which they then delivered to Chara's mouth.

"Here you go," Frisk said, winking.

Chara laughed. They opened their mouth to eat the piece from Frisk's fork. As soon as they closed their mouth, they began laughing again, which turned into a bout of coughing. They leaned forward, making a mock choking expression. Bits of icing from the surface of the flan stuck onto the tips of their hair. Chara stared up at them, tried to chew, and burst out laughing again.

"Okay, Chara. I think people are looking at us now. You should-"

Swiftly, Chara carved off a piece of the flan with their own fork and shoved it towards Frisk. With a resigned smile, Frisk opened their mouth and ate the piece as well. As they started to chew, they couldn't help themselves from staring at the icing that was on Chara's hair. Without thinking it, they started laughing as well. At the same time, they swallowed, and they felt the food going up their nose.

Frisk coughed and fell forward.

Amused, Chara laughed even harder. Then, they leaned towards Frisk, close enough that...the icing on their hair stuck onto Frisk's as well. Frisk leaned back, their eyes becoming wide when they realized what Chara had done. There were little white dots in their vision where their hair fell in front of their eyes.

They swallowed again, trying to get the food to go down their throat this time. Then, they coughed, and fell into another fit of laughter.

Both of them couldn't stop laughing.

"Stop it," Frisk said at last when they had regained their composure. "Wipe that icing off your hair. Everyone's going to stare at you."

"Everyone's staring at you, too," Chara snapped back.

Chara grabbed a piece of tissue paper, reached up to wipe their hair, then – suddenly – spun their hand around, leaned towards Frisk, and cleaned the icing from Frisk's hair instead.

Unable to hold back their grin, Frisk grabbed a piece of tissue paper and helped clean the icing from Chara's hair as well.

"Okay. That was pretty fun," Chara said, giving Frisk a pat on the head when they were done.

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this more often."


	10. Intimacy

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Frisk opened their eyes and saw darkness. They rubbed their eyes to clear them, and then they sat up in their bed. Looking to their right, they saw Chara lying on the ground, blankets strewn everywhere. Chara was breathing heavily and staring with a blank expression at the ceiling. Their eyes had a far-off look in them.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked.

It took a while for Chara to become composed enough to respond. For a while, they lay there on their futon, hands gripping the blankets around them as if trying to hold on to something. Then, their eyes met with Frisk's, and they became startled. Quickly, Chara sat up and turned to face them.

"I...I had a nightmare," Chara replied. Their voice was dry and weak.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I think so. Maybe."

Alarmingly, Chara buried their face into their hands and made a whimpering sound. They exhaled, and then they faced towards Frisk again. This time, they appeared more frustrated than scared.

"What?" Chara said, their tone taking on a much sharper edge. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Chara, I – I'm just concerned, that's all," Frisk answered.

The look in Chara's eyes was familiar, but not in a good way. It was their old bitter and resentful look again.

"Don't look at me," Chara said, lying back down. They turned their back to Frisk.

"Is there something wrong? What happened in your nightmare?"

Chara didn't reply. They simply lay there, frozen.

"Hey, Chara. If you aren't feeling well, then – umm, do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?"

At this suggestion, Chara turned around again. There was still that angry expression on their face, but it seemed subdued now. When they spoke, the sharpness in their voice had diminished.

"Why do you care about me so much?" Chara asked.

The question took Frisk by surprise. They stared back at Chara with a blank expression, unsure of what to say.

"Well, Frisk?"

"I...I just do," Frisk said at last. "I'm concerned about your feelings. If you feel angry, or sad, or scared – isn't it natural for me to ask about how I can help?"

Chara turned their eyes away. They folded their arms and sat silently.

"How about this: do you want to sleep with me?" Frisk offered.

"...Really?"

"Yeah. My bed's not that big, but it could probably fit both of us."

A shaky smile crept over Chara's face, and they made a shy laugh. Then, they stood up and walked towards Frisk's bed. For a moment, they scrutinized Frisk, as if considering whether or not they should really sleep together. Then, shrugging, they climbed into Frisk's bed and grabbed the blanket.

Their bed could hardly contain the two of them. Frisk felt themselves being pushed up against the wall. They pushed back so that Chara didn't hog all of the space. At this, Chara turned towards them, frowning.

"Is this fine?" Chara asked.

"Yeah. If you feel better here, then it's okay."

Chara closed their eyes.

Frisk felt stuffy. They tossed and turned themselves around a few times, trying to find a position that was comfortable. Unfortunately, Chara didn't seem to be willing to give up anymore space. After turning around for a while, they stretched out their legs and gently pushed against Chara's shoulder, hoping to squeeze out just an inch more of space.

Chara opened their eyes.

"You're obviously not comfortable," Chara said. "I'll go back."

"Wait! No, I mean, I'm fine," Frisk replied. "I just need a little more space."

"Frisk. It's the middle of the night, but I'm wide awake. I don't think I'll be falling asleep anytime soon."

"Me too, you know."

An amusing thought came to their mind. Frisk turned to face Chara again, smiling slyly.

"Want to cuddle?"

"...Okay," Chara replied, to Frisk's surprise.

Just like during that night in the inn at Snowdin Town, Frisk gently wrapped their arms around Chara's back. Chara lowered their head and pushed themselves down the bed so that they could rest their face against Frisk's. Then, they placed one arm down over Frisk's back, and wrapped their other hand around Frisk's shoulder.

Frisk closed their eyes. Chara's body felt warm against theirs. They took a deep breath and smelled something pleasant. It was the scent of Chara's hair, which smelled like flowers.

"This is nice," Frisk said after lying like that for a while.

"Yeah." Chara giggled. "You know, if Tori-I mean, mother walks in on us like this, what do you think she'd say?"

"I don't know. You know mom better than me."

"Well..." Chara opened their eyes, and lowered their voice to a whisper. "Back when I lived with them in the underground, I used to sleep with...Asriel, too. Every time I had a nightmare. I don't think our parents really cared."

"Oh. So, she probably wouldn't care about us, either, right?"

"Yeah. I suppose..."

Chara lowered their head further. Frisk felt Chara's grip on them tighten, as if to pull them closer.

"You...do you really want to know what my nightmares are about?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll tell you."

Chara closed their eyes, but they didn't relax their grip. Slowly, Frisk raised their arms so that they could put their hands close to Chara's shoulders.

"Before...before I fell into the underground, I used to live in a village," Chara began. "It was one of the small villages around the base of Mount Ebott. I lived with other humans."

"My...old 'family', the people who tried to raise me. They hated me. No matter what I did, they'd always find a reason to get mad at me. My...'parents', they weren't very happy people. They'd get angry every day. And whenever they had a problem...I was...I..."

Chara buried their face into Frisk's shoulders.

"I couldn't stand them. They'd hit me whenever they got angry. Even when I didn't do anything, they'd find a reason to beat me. I couldn't turn to anyone for help. Everyone in the village knew about my parents, and they didn't want to get involved. If I tried to tell anybody about the things my 'parents' did to me, they'd just hit me even harder..."

"I tried to kill myself, several times. I cut my arms. I tried to eat those poisonous flowers that grew in my village. I even tried to drown myself...but, every time, I never had the courage to go through with it. And, every time my parents found out, they'd beat me until I was too hurt to move."

Chara sniffed.

"They'd yell at me. They'd tell me that I was worthless. They'd say...they'd say that I was a nuisance, and that I should never have been born."

"...Eventually, I just decided to run away. I ran to Mount Ebott. But...I never forgot about the way that my parents, and that village, treated me. Even though my new family cared so much more about me, I, I...I wanted to get revenge. So, you know, that's why. That's why I..."

Frisk pulled Chara close, hugging them even more tightly.

"...That's why I have nightmares," Chara whispered at last in a choked voice. "Nightmares about being back in that village again, back with my old 'parents'."

Frisk held Chara, gently caressing them. They kept silent and let Chara cry against their shoulder. Tears stained both of their sweaters. Then, Chara took a few deep, shuddering breaths, and relaxed their grip on Frisk. Chara pulled their head away and stared into Frisk's eyes.

"Well, honestly, it's stupid to cry about this," Chara said in a firmer tone. They made a snickering laugh. "That was all really long ago. They're all probably dead by now. Every last one of them. If I went back to that village, no one would recognize or even remember me."

"It's okay to cry," Frisk said, patting Chara on the shoulder.

"Yeah. But it's still stupid."

Chara glanced up at Frisk. "What about you?" they asked suddenly. "What's your story for running away to Mt. Ebott?"

Frisk stared back. They opened their mouth, but found themselves unsure of what to say. Their own story was very different from Chara's, but – at the same time – it also wasn't a very good story. In a way, they didn't want to think that there was really any reason at all for them going to Mt. Ebott. Perhaps, everything had happened by chance, and – had they taken just another turn that day – they would never have fallen down that hole, and the monsters would still be stuck in the underground, and Chara would still be dead. Or maybe nothing was by chance, because at that time, for whatever reason, they had made the decision to go into the cave, and it was because of that decision that everything afterwards had happened.

They had thought about it, over and over again, trying to find reasons to explain everything, their own past, their own decisions. But, no matter how they thought about it, they couldn't find a convincing explanation. If they told their story like that, neither they nor Chara would be satisfied.

In the end, it was better to believe that it had been by chance.

"I was exploring the mountain," Frisk said. "There was a thunderstorm, so I decided to take shelter in the cave. Then, I tripped on some vines, and I fell into the cave."

Chara looked at Frisk weirdly, raising both of their eyes.

"That's it? What about your past?"

"My past?"

"Yeah. What happened to you before all of that?"

"...Nothing much, really. I didn't have parents, or even a family. I was just out exploring."

Chara looked away.

"Frisk."

"Yeah?"

"I'm beginning to feel sleepy again," Chara said, yawning. "Give me a goodnight kiss."

"...Okay."

Frisk leaned towards Chara and kissed them on their forehead.

"No, not like that," Chara said, smirking. They grabbed Frisk's shoulder with their hand again. "Like this."

Chara kissed Frisk on the lips.

Frisk was unsure of how to respond. But, feeling their closeness, and Chara's warm presence, they held the kiss. It was odd, but it felt good to kiss Chara, just like during that night at Snowdin. It felt good to be so tender towards each other. They held the kiss until Chara finally pulled away.

"Good night," Chara said.

"Good night," Frisk responded, resting their head against Chara's shoulder.

* * *

"How has Chara been lately?"

Frisk turned to face Toriel, towering above them with her warm goat-mom smile. Instead of her purple Delta Rune dress, she now wore a bright red sweater with the words "Best Goat Mom" knitted in yellow upon it. Chara had knitted that sweater.

"They's doing fine," Frisk answered, smiling. "I'm keeping them company."

"That is good. If it is okay, I have a request to make of the two of you."

Frisk nodded.

"As you know, I am almost finished drafting up a curriculum for the education of human and monster children who want to attend my school. Once it is accepted by the city mayor, I will start enrolling students right away. If it is fine, I would like you and Chara to be enrolled in this school as its first human students."

"Sure," Frisk replied. "Would you like me to pass this on to Chara?'

"Yes. That is exactly what I am asking," Toriel said, smiling.

"All right. I'll go talk to them."

Frisk went upstairs to their bedroom. To their surprise, they saw Chara standing out on the balcony, talking to someone. They walked past the bed and opened up the balcony door.

Chara turned around. The flower in the pot on the balcony ledge turned, too. A familiar face had appeared on the flower.

"Howdy, Frisk," Asriel said. "How are you today?"

"Hi, Asriel! I'm fine," Frisk responded. "What about you?"

"Well, you know me." Asriel made a mock expression of his mean flower-face, showing off a large and sadistic grin. Then, he smiled. "I'm the same, as usual. A flower."

"Oh, well, uh..." Frisk scratched their head.

"No, no, it's fine," Asriel said. "I understand how much the two of you are worried about me. Really, I'm all right. And, Frisk – I know what you've been trying to do. You've been getting Alphys to find ways to help me."

Frisk was surprised. "How did you-"

"Oh, you think I just lie here in my pot all day, sleeping?" Asriel said, grinning once more. "I listen to your conversations all the time. If I wasn't stuck in this pot, I'd be digging through the soil to go all over town, eavesdropping on everyone!"

"So...you know everything?"

"Yeah! And thank you, really. I can't express my gratitude."

Nodding, and with a shy smile, Frisk walked onto the balcony. Chara turned to look at them with a curious expression.

"So, Frisk?"

"I just talked to Toriel," Frisk began, leaning against the balcony railing, "She told me that she's almost done drafting up a curriculum for her school."

"Right. So, she's going to become a teacher?"

"Yeah. An she wants us to enrol."

Chara was silent for a few seconds. Then, they turned away and folded their arms together, pressing them against the surface of the railing. They stared out aimlessly into the distance for a while.

"So. I'll be going to school."

"Yeah."

"It's a school for both human and monster children, right? So...there's going to be monsters, right?"

"Yeah."

"But...there's going to be humans, too."

Frisk lowered their head. "Yes."

Chara became silent again. Then, they sighed.

"Whatever. I'll enrol."

"Really?"

"We'll be going to school together, right?" Chara closed their eyes, and their voice took on an embarrassed tone. "I guess...as long as you're there, I'll be fine."

Frisk turned to look at Chara. "Ah...thanks?"

"Don't mistake me," Chara said. "I can take care of myself. But...I'm more confident when you're around, okay? That's all."

A smile spread across Frisk's face. "Yeah."

They stared up at the sky.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was a clear blue, and the air was warm. Clouds drifted by calmly. There was the distant sound of waves lapping against the shore, mixed with the sounds of the city, of people chatting and cars speeding by, and also of laughter, both human and monster. They took a deep breath and smelled the ocean breeze. A calm wind blew past, and strands of hair flew in front of their eyes. They parted those strands, and then they turned to look at Chara, who was looking back, smiling.

They turned to the sky again, to the clouds, realizing what a wonderful view it was – a view that, for the first time in a long while, monsters could finally see again.

"Right," Frisk said, putting their hand over Chara's on the railing. "I'll be there with you."

Chara held their hand.

"Not just 'there'," Chara said. "You'll...be with me, always, right?"

Frisk gave a nod.

"Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been really fun writing this story, and I'd like to thank everybody who's been reading along! This chapter pretty much wraps up the main plot, but I'll be writing more chapters in the future when I can think of stuff to write about.


	11. The Dark Descent

Months had passed since monsters returned to the surface.

For Frisk, living with Toriel had brought a feeling of belonging to their life. Before, they had been wandering the world, never remaining in one place for long, never forming any long lasting attachments with others. It seemed normal to live life like this, and they had not expected that it would ever change. For them, life was about journey and adventure, and of constantly seeing and finding new things. Dropping down into the underground, then, had been the greatest discovery of all. It was also the discovery that would change things forever for them.

Perhaps it was that Toriel and Chara gave them a sense of security that they had never had before when they journeyed the world. Toriel was a kind mother, and she made their meals, so having enough food to eat was never a problem anymore. Chara was a close friend, and their living together had resulted in an intimate companionship that fulfilled their need for affection. It was these two new factors in Frisk's life that made them believe that it was better to settle down than to continue a life of journeying. But, at the same time, their need for adventure, for discovery, was the one thing that had become unfulfilled.

So, when it came to the day that Toriel's new school opened, Frisk was actually rather excited. School was its own kind of adventure, because they would be able to learn new things every day. It might be less exciting than going on a journey, but they trusted in Toriel to be able to keep their interest with her classes. They had always wanted to see how school was like, too.

Toriel's school for human and monster children opened with her as both headmaster and teacher, and she had hired twelve other monster teachers as well. Frisk and Chara were both eleven years old and were put into the sixth grade. Luckily, Toriel was their teacher for half of their classes. 

On the day that school started, Chara and Frisk walked to school together. Chara was nervous and, as usual, kept their head low, while Frisk maintained their plain expression, but felt confident inside. They observed that the school had much more monster than human students. In their grade, there were only three other humans. To Chara's relief, these three human children seemed much more interested in the monsters than in them, so Chara was able to avoid talking to them as they walked into class. Frisk sat down beside Chara's desk.

Toriel taught their first class, which was English. It took a while for her to get the three human children to quiet down, as they couldn't help but talk to all the unique looking monsters to find out more about them. There was one monster child whose head was shaped like a hand, with blue skin and red fingernails, the thumb and index fingers separated, and the human children kept trying to figure out how this monster could see and talk. 

“Now, I understand the importance of allowing human and monster children to interact with and learn about each other,” Toriel said. “So, you will all have time to talk as much as you like later. For now, however, please remain quiet, so that everyone can hear my voice while I am teaching the lesson.”

Frisk looked at Chara, who was already shifting their feet uneasily as they sat.

Toriel started their lesson with a review of English grammar, before moving on to reading and writing communication. This segued into their next class, human and monster social studies, for which she was also their teacher. She started with a brief description of the geography of the world, noting how big the surface was in comparison to the underground. In terms of land area, the underground would be considered just a small country when compared to the sizes of human countries. 

Then, she moved on to history, which she emphasized was difficult to teach, given the troublesome events that had happened in the past between humans and monsters. She did, however, mention something that Frisk found quite intriguing, and – as the day progressed – they realized that they couldn't stop thinking about it.

“It is said that humans and monsters are different in this manner,” Toriel began. “Monsters look very different from each other, but – on the inside – they are very much alike. It has been said that monsters are empathic, reasonable, and peaceful. Humans, on the other hand, look very similar to each other, but – on the inside – they can be very different.”

“That is not to say that that is a bad thing. This difference happens because humans have different cultures with unique sets of beliefs, values, and attitudes. It is not proper to say that any one culture is better than another, and – in fact – as we study human history, we will note that many events happen the way they do because of the clash of different cultures.”

“We are actually at a pivotal moment in history, the moment being the return of monsters to the surface world. We shall see what will happen as humans and monsters start to meet and learn more about each other, sharing our respective cultures. There will, of course, be conflict. But, we cannot look at every conflict as a black and white issue of the interests of monsters and the interests of humans colliding with each other.”

“There is a belief in some human cultures that conflict is inevitable and will always exist. In a way, that belief holds a certain degree of truth. Monsters have also always had conflicts amongst each other. Historically, the difference is that monsters have usually been able to resolve their conflicts peacefully, by talking it out, while – unfortunately – many human conflicts have led to violence and war. At the same time, there have also been conflicts between monsters that have not been resolved peacefully, as well as conflicts between humans that have ended without any violence.”

“The takeaway from studying history, then, is not about how we can end all conflict – but rather, about how we can learn to resolve our conflicts peacefully, without having to resort to fighting. We shall see, in the coming months, if the conflicts that will arise between humans and monsters can be solved without the use of violence.”

* * *

After lunch, they had maths and science classes. Chara had some troubles with those subjects, but they were surprised at how good Frisk was with numbers.

“Well, I had to count and compare a lot of different numbers in my head when I was going through the underground,” Frisk said. “I guess I got good at arithmetic.”

“Lucky you.”

In science, everyone received their own laptops, which was due to a donation given to the school by Alphys' new research institute. They were given several links to websites to read for the day, mostly news sites, so that they could keep up to date with all the current events in the world. To 'motivate' them to read these websites, Toriel assigned them to do a report on one particular news event of their interest, which was to be due at the end of the week.

They were allowed to take their laptops home. Frisk and Chara went back to their house by themselves, as Toriel had to stay for a bit longer to take care of administrative duties at the school. As soon as they got back, Chara went upstairs to their room.

Wondering what was going on, Frisk followed Chara after grabbing themselves a bite to eat. Chara was sitting at the desk in their room, typing away on their laptop. Not wanting to invade Chara's privacy, Frisk sat down on their bed and opened up their own laptop. It was on one of the websites that they had to read for homework. They felt a bit too tired to read it right now, so Frisk decided to ask Chara what they were doing.

“I made an account on the UnderNet,” Chara replied in a brisk tone. “Hey, I think I just found your profile.”

“...That's the first thing you do with your laptop?'

Chara turned to face Frisk. They narrowed their eyes and made a sarcastic smile.

“You know, back in the time that I lived, there was no Internet,” Chara said. “But I've always wanted to check it out. So, yeah, I'm going to check everything out!”

Frisk turned back to their own laptop. Come to think of it, they hadn't logged on to their own UnderNet profile in a while. Maybe it was time to go there and check what was going on.

On logging in, they found 4381 status notifications and 726 private messages from their old friends.

“Hey, I sent you a friend request,” Chara said.

* * *

Frisk leaned over Chara's shoulder.

“What's that you're playing?”

“Alphys told me to get this program called Steam. Then, she bought me this game,” Chara replied. “She told me that it's really scary and fun.”

“Scary?”

“Yeah. It's like this: you wake up inside this castle, and you don't remember who you are. Then, you go around, exploring the castle, and you find and read notes, and you have to hide from all the monsters!”

Chara had turned the light off, so their room was dark. It was ten at night. Toriel had already went to bed, so they had to play with the door closed.

Frisk looked at the screen. The character in it was going down a dark hall, carrying a lamp. All of a sudden, the screen went hazy, and Frisk became startled by a loud noise like a growl. Chara jumped back in their seat and stared at the monitor as a disturbing monster rushed at the player. The screen became red, and then it turned black.

That night, Chara slept in Frisk's bed (again).


	12. A Day Out

As the weeks passed, Frisk discovered that they held an interest in social studies, particularly history. They listened attentively in all of Toriel's history classes, and completed their reports on current events exceptionally well. To them, it was interesting to learn about how the events of the past had shaped the current social and political state of the world. They had started to consider whether or not their thirst for adventure had actually originated in a desire to become famous, to become remembered in history. Considering that they were at least partly responsible for taking down the barrier and allowing monsters to return to the surface, they had perhaps already achieved that feat.

Their fourth report at the end of the month was on the global tourism industry's reaction to receiving an influx of monster tourists. With monsters now capable of going anywhere on the surface, the tourism industry was flourishing – in some places. Certain countries did not yet allow monsters to enter their borders. Other countries openly welcomed them, and it was said that the response from the general public in those countries to the visiting monsters was largely positive. Most people, it seemed, wanted their country's economy to grow, and increasing tourism was a method of achieving that.

For this report, Frisk achieved an A+. 

Chara, on the other hand, had neglected to do half their reports, and eventually ended up being scolded personally by Toriel. They were then instructed to finish all of their homework before they could use the laptop to play games or to surf the web. But, of course, Chara found a way to bypass this – by always keeping their report document open, and alt tabbing to it whenever Toriel came into their room. In the end, Frisk had to help Chara to complete a large portion of their homework.

“Do you enjoy school?” Chara asked Frisk one day, when Frisk was helping them with maths.

“I think so,” Frisk replied. “I like going to class to discuss everything that's going on in the world. But some subjects, like English, are kind of boring.”

“Every subject is boring,” Chara said. “Well, I guess I like music. Did you hear the piece that I composed the other day?”

“You mean, the one on the piano?”

“Yeah! Everyone in class told me that they liked it, and that I should start taking lessons.”

The idea was oddly amusing. Chara being a pianist had never crossed Frisk's mind before. But, now that Chara had mentioned it, Frisk realized that it made a lot of sense. Chara loved music, and would always listen to a song on UnderTube while they did their homework. The only problem was that piano lessons were expensive, and they didn't own one for them to practice on at home. 

Later, when Chara suggested it to their mother, Toriel told Chara that she would try her best to save up enough money to purchase a piano, but – for now – they would have to practice on the ones at school.

Towards the end of the first month of school, Chara also became surprisingly restless, and seemed to be bored of being stuck at home every day after school and on weekends. They still didn't like talking to humans very much, or even monsters – Frisk remained Chara's only friend – but Chara wanted to “get out of the boring routine of school and do something exciting for a change.” 

While going through the news sites on their laptop, Frisk discovered that an all-monster-owned marketplace was opening up in a neighbouring city. The grand opening of this market was just a few days away, and it was on a Saturday, so Frisk thought that Chara might be interested.

“A whole day in another city?” Chara said, an ambivalent look in their eyes. They seemed at once curious as well as anxious. “How are we going to get there?”

“We can buy train tickets,” Frisk answered. “If you don't mind being on a train with lots of other humans, that is.”

Chara seemed disappointed for a moment. Then, they shrugged. “All right. I guess I'll check it out.”

“Okay!”

Toriel let them go without her, as she trusted that they were both capable of taking care of themselves. So, on the day that their trip came, they got out of bed early in the morning – an easy feat for Frisk, but not for Chara (who had stayed up too late playing horror games again) – grabbed their tickets, and walked to the train station in the city.

Even in the morning, the station was full of people. As usual, Chara walked close beside Frisk, and requested that they hold hands whenever they walked into a large crowd. Frisk complied, thinking that it was better than them being separated. If that ever happened, Chara might experience a mental breakdown. 

They boarded the train and walked to their seats. Chara sat by the window. The trip was going to take two hours. Along the way, the train passed across a bridge, which allowed them to see a beautiful view of the ocean below. The rays of the early morning sunlight reflected brightly upon the surface of the water, glimmering like jewels. Then, the train passed through a mountain, and there was nothing but forest around them. Briefly, Frisk was reminded of their past adventures and their journey up Mount Ebott. That had been a large bigger mountain than this one, but still, they felt nostalgic.

Eventually, the train arrived at their destination, and – to Chara's dismay – this city was much bigger, much more populated, and the station was quite a bit more crowded. When they stood up from their seat, they instantly reached out for Frisk's hand. Frisk looked up at Chara, who had that nervous look in their eyes again. Without saying anything, Frisk took Chara's hand, and they walked out of the train together.

The marketplace was close by, and there were enough signs saying “Grand Opening” that they could find it easily enough without a map. Upon entering the market, Frisk realized that they were going into an old part of this city, likely built by humans that had settled here hundreds of years prior. The streets were narrow and winding and made of cobble, and there were lots of alleys and tight corridors that went under the roofs of buildings. At least the place was quite clean.

“I thought this market was supposed to be owned by monsters,” Chara said in a panicked voice. “Why are there so many humans around?!”

“Probably because they want to check out what the monsters here sell?”

“But couldn't they, you know – not come in such big crowds?”

That was something Frisk had to agree with. Inside the market, the streets were tight, and there was very little space for them to move around without bumping into another person. Every time Chara touched another human, they would instinctively become tense, and Frisk would need to pull gently on their arm to get them to relax again. Chara started to walk leaning close to Frisk, their shoulders nearly touching, as if to minimize the amount of potential contact they could have with another person (and to maximize the amount of contact with Frisk).

Fortunately, when they reached past the entrance, the streets opened up, and they had more room to walk without bumping into someone every few seconds. They didn't really know where to start exploring, so they picked a random direction to head down. 

After going down an alley, they arrived at a little bridge that went over a stream. It was surprisingly quiet here. Chara let go of Frisk's hand and walked onto the bridge, where they placed their hands on the railing and leaned over the edge. Frisk stepped up beside them and looked around.

Despite the season being autumn, the air today was very warm. The weather was temperate, with a balmy wind, and the skies were blue. Here, the sound of flowing water was louder than the distant roar of the city crowds. A scent of smoked food was in the air, owing to the restaurants that were around. It was mixed with a fresh, more dirt-like smell, probably due to the city's proximity to mountains. 

“We went to a market, but we aren't even checking out the stores,” Frisk commented to break the silence.

Chara stared at the water that flowed below them.

“...Hey, Frisk.”

“Yeah?”

“You know that one time, back in the underground, when we were at the Waterfall, sitting on a bridge and talking to each other?”

The memory was still fresh in Frisk's mind. “Right.”

“That was before...everything that's happened,” Chara continued. They lowered their head to rest their chin on top of their hands. “Doesn't it feel like so much has changed?”

“It does. The whole world's changing.”

“But, I mean, even between us. I never thought that...after everything was over, after the fight with Asriel, and him breaking down the barrier, that we would end up the way that we are now. Living in a house with Toriel, going to school together, going out to visit different cities...I, I never even imagined that I would want to go anywhere near humans again. And yet, here I am.”

“I didn't think that this would happen, either.”

Chara appeared surprised at that statement. They turned to face Frisk with wide, curious eyes.

“Really? What did you think would happen?”

“I didn't think of it at all, actually,” Frisk replied. Their tone grew somewhat somber. “I've never really planned very far ahead in my life. I was always going out on an adventure...always visiting places and seeing new things. It was never my intention to settle down in a place and go to school.”

“Then why'd you do it? Why'd you choose to go live with Toriel?”

The question caught Frisk off guard. They had been thinking about it, too. But, it was another one of those questions, like choosing to climb Mount Ebott, that they really didn't have an answer to. And, if they did have an answer, it wouldn't satisfy Chara, because they had always chosen to do things based on intuition instead of a plan. Sometimes, even they were annoyed at themselves for going through life like this, for making every big decision based on a spur of the moment. It disallowed them to have certainty. And, when they thought about what had made them become like this...

“I just wanted to,” Frisk said finally. They realized that they had been clenching their teeth, and they relaxed their expression. “I wanted to try something new, okay? I've always just been going around, exploring the world, never getting attached to one place or one person for long...so, I thought that I would try it, I would try settling down with someone. And that's why I'm here, now.”

Chara was taken aback by Frisk's response. They darted away their eyes.

“So...it was just another one of your intuitive decisions? You weren't planning on it?”

“I don't like to plan much,” Frisk said simply.

“But, well, I guess I want to ask...are you happy with this decision?”

There were so many ways to answer that question that, for a moment, Frisk's mind went blank. They stared at Chara, unresponsive, until Chara returned a weird look. 

“I...I think I am,” Frisk answered.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Let's just keep walking, okay?”

Chara looked annoyed now. “Frisk.”

“Yeah.”

“If you don't want to talk about it, then just say so.”

“...All right.”

But it wasn't all right.

* * *

Frisk had, for a while, been denying – in their mind – that the root of their problem in going aimlessly through life was a fear of acquiring attachments. Perhaps it started in their earliest memory, which was of themselves wandering alone through a town, unable to find their parents. They didn't remember if they ever had parents. But, from that day on, they continued wandering. Sometimes, they stayed in certain places for a time, living under shelters or seeking out homeowners who would be willing to take them in for a while. Yet, every time they started to become familiar with a place, familiar enough with it to call it their home, they would choose to move on. They would never risk letting themselves become attached.

So, now, they felt the same thing again. They had been living with Toriel for months, and there was that lingering urge in their mind, telling them to move on, to continue with their journey. It would be too painful to stay for any longer. Where they would go next, they didn't know for sure yet. But they had never known before, either. What stopped them from running away this time?

“Want to check out this store?” Chara asked.

Frisk snapped out of their thoughts. They looked at where Chara was pointing, which was a shop titled “Snowdin's Stockpile.” It was a store that sold winter clothing.

“Toriel told us to buy lots of clothes for the winter, remember?” Chara added.

Frisk gave a shaky nod. “Y-yeah.”

They went inside and browsed around. The shop owner was a familiar looking rabbit, but it wasn't the one that owned the inn back in Snowdin Town. She smiled kindly at Frisk and Chara and mentioned that they were her first customers today. Frisk responded by commenting that her shop was very nice.

Chara found a dark blue duffle coat that fit their size. They put in on and looked at themselves in the mirror for a good minute.

“Stylish,” Frisk said. “You look pretty cute in that.”

An expression of mild surprise came over Chara's face. “You think so?”

“Yeah.”

The expression turned into a pleasant smile. Chara unhooked the duffles on the jacket and took it off, then presented it to Frisk.

“Why don't you try it on?”

“Why?” Frisk asked.

“I think it'd look even cuter on you.”

Frisk felt themselves come close to blushing. They looked around, wondering if the shopowner was in hearing range. But, before they could say anything, Chara had come over and grabbed Frisk's arm, pulling them in front of the mirror.

“Okay. Try wearing it.”

Chara gave the jacket to Frisk, and they put it on. To their surprise, the jacket fit them better than it did Chara. It was actually very soft and very warm. Chara stood behind Frisk's shoulder, grinning.

“You look so cute in that,” Chara said. They placed a hand on Frisk's head and ruffled up their hair affectionately.

Frisk gently shook Chara's hand off and brushed away the hair that had fallen in front of their eyes. “Chara...”

“You're so adorable, I could just pinch your cheeks,” Chara continued in a voice that was clearly an imitation of Toriel's.

“Okay, okay. I like it, too.”

“So, you'll buy it?”

“Yeah, if it makes you happy.”

After browsing for a bit more, Chara found another piece of clothing that they wanted: an interesting looking scarf which was made of very thick grey and white threads. On inspection of the brand, Frisk discovered that it was made by a company called “Muffet's Weavers”. A surge of bad memories came into mind, memories of being trapped and entangled in webs and having to run away from a big, hungry spider, but Chara really liked it.

“You like this scarf?” the shopowner said when they went to check their clothes out. “Funny thing, actually. I think the company that made this scarf has a shop right next door.”

“...Right next door?” Frisk repeated in a worried tone.

The rabbit laughed. “Yeah. I think they're also a part-time tea parlour. Why don't you check them out?”

Against Frisk's advice, Chara decided to go to this store next. It was a shop that was simply called “Muffet's Parlour,” which was thoroughly decorated with spiderwebs on the outside to spare no hint to onlookers of what was going to be inside. 

As Frisk expected, the store was entirely owned by spiders. The small spiders hung out along the walls, endlessly spinning out new webs (or 'decorations', as they were called), while larger, more Muffety spiders were the waiters. There was a smell of baked pastries in the air. A tiny donation jar was placed in front of every web, which amounted to a ridiculous number of jars, and they had to step carefully to avoid knocking any of them over. Aside from that, Chara seemed delighted by this atmosphere.

Muffet herself was at the front counter. When Chara approached, she gave one of her sickeningly sweet smiles, and all five of her eyes opened. 

“Welcome to my parlour, dearie~” Muffet said, ending her sentence with her familiar whimsical pitch. Every one of her words sounded like they were being cackled out. “I haven't had many human customers. I think the two of you are our very first ones~”

“Not many humans like spiders. Aren't they weird?” Chara responded.

Muffet giggled again. “Oh, you're not human, dearie?”

“I think I'm at least part monster.”

Frisk shirked when Muffet's gaze fell upon them. Chara had to do the talking, and – at Frisk's request – they received a table at the balcony on the second floor, away from all the cobwebs and spider waiters trying to take their money. Chara ordered a Spider Waffle, chocolate-flavoured (of course), while Frisk ordered a Spider Donut. Both of them also ordered golden flower tea.

“I didn't know you liked golden flower tea,” Chara said when their drinks had arrived.

“I acquired a taste for it after Undyne made me drink...a lot,” Frisk replied.

“Undyne, huh?”

“What about her?”

Chara leaned back in their seat. “I guess...it still surprises me that you made so many friends when you went through the Underground. Especially since half of them were out to capture or kill you.”

“Well, I just try my best to make friends with everyone.”

“I know. You told me that.”

Frisk took a sip of the golden flower tea. It had a distinct...spider flavour to it, just like the donut and the cider did. 

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara said, “Hasn't it been a while since you've seen all of your friends?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don't you call them up and invite them over?” The way that Chara phrased it, that sounded a bit more than just a suggestion.

“I was thinking about doing that,” Frisk replied.

“So, why haven't you?”

Frisk put down their drink.

It was a good question. Why hadn't they called their friends and invited them over yet? They knew, from keeping in touch with them on the UnderNet, that most of them had free time and were willing to pay a visit (except for maybe Asgore, who had taken over Papyrus' position as ambassador – though inviting Asgore over to Toriel's house might be a bit of a messy issue). But, somehow, even though Frisk wanted to invite them, they had never actually found the determination to carry through with doing it.

Frisk looked out over the edge of the balcony railing. Below, the city streets were teeming with people, both monster and human, each going their own way and browsing all the newly opened shops. It was nearing noon, and the air was growing hot. Birds flew by above their heads, making their shrill cries. Frisk felt a calm breeze in their face, and they breathed in deeply to smell the scents of nature from the nearby mountains. They closed their eyes, thinking.

It came back, again, to the fact that whenever they stayed in a place, or with some person for too long, they would form attachments to them. In truth, Frisk did want to see their friends again. They wanted to see their old friends from the underground more than anything. But, they also knew that they might grow too fond of them, and that meant that they would feel extremely lonely when they had to leave. Forming strong attachments to people would inevitably lead to pain when it came time to say their farewells. They knew this too well.

“Frisk?” Chara spoke up again.

“Oh, I'm – I'm sorry,” Frisk replied, blinking and rubbing their eyes. “Chara, I don't know how to answer that.”

“Again? Frisk, is there something bothering you?”

Frisk sighed. It was too difficult to explain the nature of the problem that bugged them. But, in a way, that was okay. They were glad to just have friends in the first place. They were glad that Chara was with them, and Toriel, and even Asriel as well. Perhaps, they would have to say goodbye to each other one day, but the day wouldn't come for a while. In that sense, they felt secure for the time being.

“I...no, nothing's bothering me.”

Chara didn't look convinced. “Frisk.”

“Yeah?”

“You've been quiet for the whole day. Even I can tell that something's not quite right with you.”

“Oh...I guess it's that obvious, huh?”

Chara leaned towards them. “Tell me what's wrong.”

“I...”

Frisk closed their eyes again, as they tended to do when they wanted to say something important.

“I've been thinking,” Frisk began. “I've been thinking about this, too. About everything that's happened since we came back to the surface. I guess, even I feel kinda shaken up by all of this. I mean, not shaken as in, I'm scared – but, well, it's like I'm trying to adjust to this new kind of living. It's really different, living with you and mom, compared to how my life was back then. So different that I'm...kind of afraid that it might all go away one day.”

Chara listened intently.

“I...I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose mom, either. And, to be honest, I really do like going to school. I really like how everything's been working out for me. I'm just growing so attached to everything, and, if it were to all disappear one day, I wouldn't know what to do. I would, I would...”

To Frisk's surprise, Chara stood up from their seat, walked over to them, and hugged them tightly.

“Frisk. That's not going to happen.”

“...Chara?”

“I know you're usually the one comforting me,” Chara said. “But...I just can't stand seeing you like this. I never knew you felt so lonely inside. If I did, I'd have...”

“Chara, I said it's fine.”

“Stop trying to be so strong, Frisk.”

Chara stood back up. “Frisk. You've done so much for me, for mother, for my brother, for...every monster in this world, really. There's no reason for you to feel so scared and lonely. And, let me reassure you – I won't disappear from you, ever. To be honest...I think I really like you!” Chara's red cheeks became even redder. “So, don't be afraid. I'll be here for you, no matter what.”

Frisk nodded slowly. Then, they stood up and returned Chara's hug.

“Thank you, Chara. I...I guess you're right. I really needed to hear that.”

Chara patted Frisk's back softly.

“You're welcome.”

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Frisk and Chara went window shopping around the marketplace. Every once in a while, Frisk would recognize a familiar monster, like Pyrope, and they would wave hello at them. They were also secretly hoping that they would find one of their old friends here. However, they knew that it was unlikely, as the market and its crowds were huge, and pinpointing a specific person amongst them was close to impossible. Perhaps only if they wore a very recognizable outfit, like Papyrus did.

They noticed that there was also a change in Chara's demeanour. In the morning, Chara had been reserved and anxious amongst the crowds of humans. Chara still seemed a bit nervous, but they no longer kept their head down as they walked, and they talked at their normal tone and pace. Their attitude, overall, had become remarkably more confident. It was probably due to the conversation that they had had earlier. Frisk was the one that needed some assurance now, and Chara was willing to make themselves bolder, and more positive, to make sure that they had fun together.

When they walked into a costumes store, Chara glanced around, before immediately heading into a section labelled “Horror.” 

Frisk remembered that humans had a celebration at the end of the tenth month where everyone dressed up in costumes. They had seen the celebration a few times, but had never participated in it. In any case, with the celebration being just a few weeks away, every piece of gear in the “Horror” section of this store was on sale, and Chara appeared ecstatic. 

They grabbed and put on a long, flowing black coat that reminded Frisk of Asgore's cape. It was far too large for Chara's size, and half the coat fell onto the floor, but they didn't seem to care. Next, Chara put on a spiky crown and grabbed a toy weapon shaped like a scythe. They approached Frisk, grinning in a creepy way.

“Greetings. I am Chara, the demon that comes when people call its name,” Chara said in a low and eerie tone. They raised their scythe up into the air. “It doesn't matter when. It doesn't matter where. Time after time, I will appear.”

Chara handed Frisk the scythe, before grabbing a cap made of plastic bones and placing it on top of Frisk's head. Frisk blinked several times.

“And, with your help, we will eradicate the enemy and become strong!”

“Uh...Chara?”

“Now, partner,” Chara continued. “Let us send this world back into the abyss.”

Frisk didn't know whether to laugh or to play along. They grabbed the hat off of the top of their head and stared at it, feeling reminded of Sans. Then, they looked back at Chara and frowned sarcastically.

“I will not erase this world,” Frisk replied.

“No...? Hmm...how curious. You must have misunderstood me.” Chara made their creepy face again. “SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?”

Frisk braced themselves as Chara raised their arms and dashed at them. 

They didn't know what to expect, but they certainly didn't foresee Chara giving them a surprise hug. A rather crushing hug, actually. Frisk felt Chara's arms wrap around their back and squeeze them so tightly that they thought they would burst. Then, Chara opened their mouth, still making that creepy smile, and leaned towards Frisk...only to kiss them lightly on the cheek.

“See? I'm a demon,” Chara whispered into Frisk's ear. “A demon that loves you.”

“Ah...thanks?”

Chara pulled away. “Come on. Help me decide on a better costume.”

“Okay.”

In the end, they didn't buy anything at all, as they thought that all of the costumes in the store were too “cliche, too 'monsters and skeletons and ghosts' and nothing 'truly abhorrent, ghastly, or psychologically scarring'.” (Frisk had no idea what type of costume Chara was looking for, but they guessed it had something to do with all the horror games that they'd be playing recently – perhaps Alphys could make them a better costume to cosplay in)

When evening came, they visited a souvenir shop, where Frisk found a beautiful snow globe with a miniature model of the entire town in it. It was so accurate that Frisk thought it replicated exactly all the details that they remembered of that town, and they decided to buy it. Meanwhile, Chara bought a Tsundereplane action figure, complete with “tsundere lines voiced by Tsundereplane herself” (half of which are variations of “It's not like I did X for you or anything, b-b-baka!!!”), as well as a...Mettaton plushie?

“I didn't know you liked Mettaton,” Frisk said, giving Chara a nudge on the side.

“It's not that I like him,” Chara replied. “But all the monsters at school are crazy about Mettaton. When they see me with this plushie, they'll all be jealous!”

“That's...”

“Oh, should I get the rectangular box Mettaton or the Mettaton Ex?” Chara continued. “And what's this? It looks like Mettaton with a hand cannon and wings, but I've never seen Mettaton look this way before...”

“...”

“I think I'll just get the rectangular Mettaton-in-a-dress.”

Finally, it was time to leave. Both were hungry, and Toriel had told them to come home for dinner, so they were eager to get going as quickly as possible.

On the train, Frisk was overcome with a sudden tiredness, and they discovered that they couldn't keep their eyes open for any longer. They rested their head against Chara's shoulder and their eyes grew weary as they listened to the sound of the train chugging on the tracks.

When they woke up, they found that they had fallen to the side, and their head was cradled nicely in Chara's lap. Chara was asleep, too.

Slowly, Frisk lifted up their head and looked out the window.

It was almost night time, and the train had just left the mountains and was about to cross over the bridge. Stars were twinkling in the blue night sky. There was a full moon shining brightly above the shapes of black mountains looming in the distance. Below, the light of the stars and the moon reflected upon the surface of the sea, creating a dazzling reflection of them, like a mirror to the sky. And, as their train sped past, they thought they could see – far, far away, the tip of Mount Ebott, towering above everything.

Frisk returned to their seat, feeling strangely content.

All in all, today was a good day. They realized that, perhaps, their spirit for adventure had been spent. Tonight, all they wanted to do was return to their room, curl up in their bed, and watch Chara play horror games until they wanted to sleep together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year, everyone!


	13. Dress up Frisk

Recently, Chara became enamoured with another genre of games that Alphys had introduced them to: visual novels. Now, in addition to the horror games, Frisk would come home to seeing Chara on a mature dating simulator, engaged in virtual activities that were perhaps just a little bit inappropriate for their age (sometimes, it was not entirely clear what they were even dating).

“Alphys,” Frisk typed in a chat with her on the UnderNet, “Where are you getting all these games for Chara?”

“...THEY ASKED FOR IT,” Alphys replied very quickly. 

“Really?” Frisk typed.

“come on, frisk. you know chara isn't going to receive bad influence from these games”

“they're a bad enough kid already LOL”

“<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3”

Towards the end of the tenth month, Chara became increasingly reclusive after school. They went straight into their room once they came home, and only went out to eat dinner or to use the bathroom. Toriel started to become concerned. She requested, on a few occasions, to see what Chara was doing in their room for so long. Then, to Frisk's surprise, Chara spent the entire time doing their homework when Toriel was watching.

As soon as Toriel was gone, Chara went back to gaming.

On one day, when Frisk came home after school, they were surprised to find Chara waiting for them at the door to their room. There was a devilish grin on Chara's face, and Chara laughed nervously as they began to speak.

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara said. “Have you thought of a costume to wear to the celebration yet?”

“No,” Frisk replied, shaking their head. “I'm probably going to the costume store tomorrow to find one.”

“Never mind that,” Chara said, placing a firm hand on Frisk's shoulder. “I've thought up of a really fun thing for us to do together. You won't need to buy a costume!”

“Uh, Chara?”

“Come in!”

Frisk walked into the room and was stunned by what they saw. A massive pile of frilly clothing was strewn across the bed. Before they could ask what was going on, Chara closed the door behind them and took Frisk by the hand, leading them beside the bed.

“What are you doing?” Frisk asked.

“I just thought of a fun game to play,” Chara said, grinning again. “It's called 'Dress up Frisk'.”

“What?!”

“It'll be fun!” Chara exclaimed. “And, don't worry – you don't have to do anything. You just sit down, and let me choose the clothes that I want to put on you. Trust me, when I'm done, you're going to have the perfect costume!”

Frisk glanced at all the clothes that lay on the bed beside them. 

“Where did you get this idea from?”

“I thought up of it myself,” Chara answered. “Why?”

“....Huh.”

Frisk sat down on the bed. It was probably easier to comply with Chara than to ask them any further questions. They weren't unwilling to play this game – but they were afraid that, by the end of it all, they were going to look completely ridiculous. And, if Toriel walked into the room, how could they explain to her that they had willingly allowed Chara to do this to them?

“Okay, let's start with your hair,” Chara said. 

They searched through the clothes pile, flinging everything onto the floor, until they found a big pink ribbon. Frisk lowered their head grudgingly as they allowed Chara to tie the ribbon onto their head.

“Your hair is so soft,” Chara commented, gently patting them on the head. “Remember that little ribbon you found in the ruins?”

“Yeah. I think I heard a voice telling me that the monsters wouldn't hit me so hard if I was cuter, so I put in on.”

Chara giggled. “Wow. Wasn't I a quirky little disembodied spirit?”

Frisk raised their eyes questioningly. “You were aware?”

“I know how I came back,” Chara said, dimming their voice to a whisper. They lowered themselves and place their hands on top of Frisk's shoulders. “Thank you, Frisk. I mean that honestly. Without you, I'd still be lying below the soil.”

“Chara, it's fine.”

“No, I really mean it,” Chara said in a more serious tone. “I'm not just happy to be alive again. I...” 

Their voice grew even softer.

“I really like having met you, too.”

Frisk put on an expression that was like a half-smile. Every time Chara said something kind, Frisk felt a warmth in their heart. It wasn't just from the fact that they shared a soul, which made it so that their feelings were connected. Hearing a nice compliment from Chara really did stir up a feeling of joy from inside.

“All done,” Chara said, when they had finished tying the ribbon.

“Can I see how it looks?”

“No, no, not yet!” Chara replied. They turned their attention towards the pile of clothing again. “I'm not even done with your hair yet, Frisk. You can only look when I'm finishing dressing you up!”

Frisk made a quiet groan. “Are you serious?”

“The name of the game is 'Dress up Frisk', after all.”

“How long is this going to take?”

“Perfection requires patience!”

Next, Chara decorated Frisk's hair with various hair clips, and even a flower pin. A golden flower, to be exact. This seemed to catch Asriel's attention, who was watching them from the balcony.

“Hey, Chara! What are you doing to Frisk?” Came Asriel's voice.

“Oh, I completely forgot!” Chara exclaimed, before rushing out to grab the flower pot and bringing it into the room. Chara put the pot down on the desk beside their computer, allowing Asriel a full view of 'Dress up Frisk'.

“What's going on?” Asriel said, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “Chara, are you...?”

“How ridiculous do I look right now?” Frisk asked before Chara could say anything.

Asriel looked like he was on the verge of laughter. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Chara stopped him.

“No! Let me finish first,” Chara demanded, putting on an angry face.

“If you insist,” Asriel replied, giggling.

Frisk folded their arms.

“Look, I'm almost done,” Chara said. “Oh, you're worried about Tor-mother coming in, and seeing you like this, aren't you?”

That caught Frisk by surprise. They turned to look at Chara, who smiled back.

Chara pinched Frisk's cheeks.

“She's just going to come up to you and give you the biggest, most crushing goat mom hug when she sees how cute you are,” Chara said. “Now, you know what will make you even cuter?”

Chara picked up a big, flowing white dress.

“Do I really?” Frisk shouted. “That looks like a wedding dress, Chara. Please tell me you didn't blow off all of mom's money on these clothes!”

“I didn't!” Chara replied. “Alphys got all of these for m-uh, oops!”

“So, it was Alphys' idea?”

Asriel burst out laughing.

“Ah, okay, you got me,” Chara said. “But, since you didn't have a costume yet, I thought it was a really good idea!”

“...Fine. But, seriously, a wedding dress?”

“Why not?”

Frisk narrowed their eyes and put on their almost expressionless face. It was supposed to be expressionless, but, in this current context, they looked much more unimpressed than anything else.

“Come on,” Chara said, leaning close towards Frisk. “Afraid that people will ask if you're getting married?”

“No! And who would they think a kid like me would even want to get married to?”

Chara rolled their eyes in an absent-minded way. “Ummm...me, maybe?”

Frisk's stare became stronger.

“Okay, fine!” Chara said, throwing the dress back into the pile. “Yeah, you're right. The dress wasn't even that cute anyways.”

They stared at the pile for a few seconds, before turning to face Asriel.

“Hey, Asriel. What costume do you think would look really cute on Frisk?”

Asriel scanned over the pile of clothes that was scattered all over the floor. A moment later, they raised one of their flower leaves to point at a piece of clothing, and then broke out into an uncontrollable fit of giggling.

“Of course!” Chara exclaimed as they picked this piece of clothing up. “How could I forget? This would look perfect on you, Frisk!”

“...”

“Come on, stand up,” Chara said. “You're going to look the cutest.”

A moment later, when Frisk had finished putting on the costume that Asriel had chosen for them, they were finally allowed to look into the mirror. There was a large floor mirror beside Chara's desk, which had been just out of view when Frisk was sitting on the bed. They stood in front of it.

They were dressed in a big white sailor suit, with a little red bow tie right above their chest. An enormous pink ribbon adorned their head, along with a yellow flower pin above their left ear. Hair clips kept their normally long hair pinned above their eyes. 

“You don't look too impressed,” Chara said, walking up beside Frisk. “Don't you think you're cute?”

“Actually...yes,” Frisk responded with a slight laugh. They tilted their head and brushed a hand through their hair. “I do think I look quite cute. Thank you, Chara.”

“You like it?!”

“Yeah. Now, I was thinking...Chara, where's your costume?”

“Oh, I have one,” Chara replied defensively. “You don't need to dress me up.”

Frisk seemed disappointed. “Really? Where is it?”

“I'll show you...after dinner,” Chara answered, putting on their creepy face.

* * *

Chara had finished dinner early, no doubt to put on their new costume. Throughout dinner, Toriel couldn't keep her eyes off Frisk.

“Did Chara spend the afternoon dressing you up like this?” Toriel asked.

“Yes,” Frisk answered, expressionless.

“Well – oh, my child,” Toriel said, nearly blushing. “Chara does know how to make you quite...adorable.”

“I know, mom.”

“Tell Chara that I like it, all right?”

Frisk nodded. Then, upon finishing their dinner, they went upstairs and walked to their room.

They screamed.

Chara lay still on the floor. Dozens of yellow flowers covered their face and their mouth. Blood caked their lips and flowed down from their eyes, forming a dark red puddle on the floor. Petals surrounded their body. 

Frisk dashed to their side when they saw Chara's hand and leg twitch. 

Chara sat up, spat out the flowers, and laughed.

“See! I told you I had the perfect costume!”

“...”

Frisk didn't know what to say. They simply turned their head up to look at Asriel, who was also staring at Chara with a rather...offended look on his face.

“This was in the worst taste possible,” Frisk said. “Chara, I can't believe you'd do this, especially with...Asriel here.”

Chara looked hurt. “Hey, you know I wouldn't really kill myself again!”

Asriel's face disappeared from the flower.

“Hey! Oh, Asriel, I'm sorry!” Chara shouted, getting up and rushing at the flower. “Asriel, I'm sorry! I really didn't mean it! I just wanted to prank Frisk!”

A single eye opened on the flower's face, before disappearing again.

“Asriel!”

Frisk sat down on the bed and folded their arms. “You better clean up the floor. It's all covered in petals and...blood...or whatever that red goo is you're using.”

Sulking, Chara started to do it.


	14. Reconciliation

Chara threw away the fake flowers and blood and chose a new costume for themselves on the day of the celebration, a simple black maid's dress. Still, Asriel refused to appear, even after Chara had apologized.

On the next day, Chara came home and asked Frisk to accompany them to their room. There was an unusual pensiveness about Chara's mood, and Frisk wondered what was going to happen next.

Inside their room, Chara asked Frisk to sit beside the desk on their chair. Asriel's flower pot was still placed on top of the desk. Then, Chara stood in front of both of them. They appeared, for a moment, to be lost in thought, as if they were ambivalent about what to do next. Chara made an expression like a cringe, and then, folding their arms, they slowly knelt down onto the floor.

“I'm sorry,” Chara said in a voice so soft, Frisk could barely hear them.

“I'm really sorry, Asriel.” Their voice steadily grew louder. “I'm so sorry about what I've done. It was horrible, cruel, and insensitive. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But, please, Asriel, just come out again. I want to see your face. I want to know that you're still here.”

Frisk was surprised. It wasn't often that Chara spoke so solemnly, or displayed such an immense amount of guilt and remorse in their expression. They could tell that Chara's apology was genuine.

However, Asriel still did not respond, and Chara started to seem desperate.

“I'm sorry!” they yelled loudly. Closing their eyes, and trembling, they lowered their head and remained kneeling. “I'm sorry about everything, Asriel!”

“Chara, I think we get it,” Frisk spoke up at last. “I understand how bad you feel about what you did yesterday. To be honest, I'm ready to forgive you. Just give Asriel some ti-”

Suddenly, a face appeared on the flower again. It was a familiar face, with a nasty expression, full of fury.

“Is that all you want me to do?” Asriel said, his tone full of anger. “You want me to forgive you, Chara? Well, if you really felt guilty about what you've done, maybe you should've thought about how I'd react before you put on that atrocious costume!”

Briefly, Chara appeared amazed that Asriel had actually come back. But they kept their head lowered as they spoke. “I know, Asriel! I'm so stupid! I'm always like this – I don't think my plans through before I carry them out. I'll never do something like this again!”

Asriel seemed conflicted. A second later, he bared his teeth angrily again.

“The last time one of your plans went wrong, you got both me and you killed!” Asriel said, pointing a leaf accusingly at Chara. “I wasn't angry at you. I wanted to forgive you, and in my heart, I really did. Even when I was Flowey, I was never mad at you. I really thought you understood that what you did was wrong, and, because of that, I was content. Even as a flower, I was able to feel some degree of happiness – because I believed that you had changed. You've gotten a second chance, and I believed that you were going to live your life fully this time. And then you just show up one day in the most insensitive costume I've ever seen, convincing me that you had killed yourself again, and you expect me to still believe in you?!”

Chara remained strangely silent after Asriel had finished scolding them.

“Oh, and don't forget that I'm still just a flower, spending every day rotting in this pot!” Asriel continued. His frown grew malicious. “Why did you even take me with you out of the underground? So that you can mock me, with your human body – with your ability to feel again, while I'm stuck in this form, unable to move, unable to really have emotions?! If you had left me back in the ruins, growing in the soil over your old grave, I'd at least have had the pleasure of living with the belief that you've moved on and become a better person!”

“Asriel, please,” Frisk spoke up. “I know that what Chara did was wrong. But, even still, they aren't the same person that they were before. They know that they've been insensitive, and all they want is for you to accept their apology.”

“Why should I?” Asriel retorted, before giving Chara another furious look. “I'd probably have been better off if they never showed up in my life!”

An odd expression came over Chara's face. Frisk didn't know how to describe it, but it made them feel rather uncomfortable. A very uneasy smile seemed to be spreading across Chara's lips, and their eyes slowly grew wide. Then, Chara put their hands on top of their head. Tears started to appear in their eyes. They sniffed and lowered their head again, this time to what looked like a very uncomfortable level.

“I'm so sorry, Asriel,” Chara whispered. They seemed frozen, and didn't even move an inch. “I...I don't know how I can make up for this...for anything that I've done to you. To your family.”

“Are you really sorry?” Asriel said. “Or are you just trying to manipulate me into giving you what you want again?”

Chara began to tremble. Then, gripping their face, they suddenly tore at their own skin.

“It's my fault. It's all my fault! I've always been nothing but a bad child! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! Forgive me! Don't hurt me, please, I'll never do it again! Please, don't hurt me! PLEASE!'

To Frisk's horror, Chara banged their head against the floor, which even caused Asriel to flinch in reaction. Blood pooled onto their fingernails.

“I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! Don't yell at me! Don't hit me! I admit it, it's my fault! I'll never do anything bad again! I'll behave! Please, just stop! STOP! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The door opened, and Toriel rushed into the room. 

“My child, what has happened to you?” Toriel asked as she knelt beside Chara.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Chara screamed, so loudly that Frisk flinched.

* * *

Chara was lying in Toriel's lap. They were still shaking, and their eyes were red (or even redder than usual) with tears. Toriel was patting Chara gently on their back, a sad expression on her face. Chara sniffed.

“I'm sorry, mother,” they said in a choked voice. “I'm s-sorry for p-putting you through everything. ”

“My child, what do you mean?”

Chara buried their face against Toriel's dress. “Because of me, y-you, you – you lost your children, you lost your family, you – y-you had to bury me, and you've g-gone thr...through so much...”

Toriel's expression grew more somber. “That was very, very long ago, my child,” she replied. “And it is not at all your fault that you grew sick. We should have taken better care of you. I should have been a better mother.”

Chara couldn't stop sobbing.

For Frisk, it was an extremely uncomfortable to watch. They knew the truth about what Chara had done, and they knew that, even now, Chara had to hide it from their mother out of fear of ending up being hated by her. She did, however, understand how Chara had come back through Frisk (and it had been extremely bizarre to explain).

After Chara had been carried out of the room by Toriel, Asriel became sullen, and he admitted that he had gone completely overboard in his rejection of Chara's apology. Frisk was hardly pleased with him, so he decided to create an apology as well. He clipped off both of his leaves and some petals, which shocked Frisk, and then used magic to cut them up and arrange them into certain words. 

It would take months for those petals and the leaves to grow back. Asriel requested to be put back onto the balcony, where he hid his face once more. 

For the rest of the evening, Chara continued to cry into Toriel's lap. Frisk stayed beside them the whole time, comforting them with Toriel. At first, Chara kept saying nonsensical things, shouting that they didn't want to be hit anymore, but they slowly started to calm down. 

When Chara was able to sit by themselves again, Toriel made them a late dinner of noodles and stew, with chocolate pudding. Eating seemed to make Chara feel better again, and the scars on their face were already fading (due to Toriel's healing magic). They still could barely speak, and they continued to shudder every once in a while. Throughout dinner, they sniffed as they ate their food.

After they were done eating, Frisk accompanied Chara back to their room.

“I don't want to go back,” Chara said in a soft voice. “Asriel's going to...”

“Asriel has something to say to you,” Frisk replied.

Chara tensed up, and their face became full of worry again. “What is it?”

“Let me show you.”

Frisk opened up the door, but Chara remained standing behind them, hiding their face from view. They crouched down as Frisk stepped into the room, as if to try to avoid being seen.

“Don't worry. Asriel wanted to be put back on the balcony, so he's not here,” Frisk said.

“Frisk...I just don't want to see him or let him see me right now.”

“He won't.”

“Can I...can I sleep downstairs tonight?”

“Sure.”

“No, wait...Frisk, is it all right if I sleep with you again?”

Frisk nodded and smiled reassuringly. “Of course that's all right, Chara.”

Nodding in response, and taking a deep breath, Chara walked into their room again. They glanced around, as if looking for Asriel, and stopped for a moment upon looking at the balcony through their room window. Frisk held their breath, hoping that Chara wouldn't break down again. Then, Chara sighed, and they walked towards Frisk's bed.

Something seemed to catch their attention as they looked towards the desk. They walked towards it.

On the desk was written the message:

“Asriel forgives you, Chara. Maybe you can forgive him.”

* * *

Chara woke Frisk up in the middle of the night. They seemed much more comfortable now, though their face still showed a bit of sadness. They turned to face Frisk, who was lying beside them, and – to Frisk's surprise – they gave them a tight hug.

“I'm...me, and Asriel, we're both kind of ridiculous,” Chara said. “We fought a lot back then. I mean, not as badly as we did today, but really, it was my fault that this whole fight started. I guess – I should've been more mature.”

“It wasn't your fault that he said those things, though,” Frisk replied.

“No, I mean I should've been more mature in how I handled it.” Their tone became somewhat shaky. “I'm older, now. I shouldn't have broken down and started screaming like that.”

“...Chara. That wasn't your fault either.”

“Maybe it wasn't, but, still.” Chara's eyes closed. “I must've frightened you and mother so badly. It's all right if I kind of make a fuss by myself, but, with you around...for your sake, I don't think I should've done it.”

Chara turned their eyes up at Frisk, and they moved their arms over Frisk's shoulders.

“You're always the voice of reason,” Chara continued. “I don't know what I, or Asriel, would've done without you there.”

Frisk was silent for a few moments.

Perhaps that was what they tried to be, a voice of reason. To Chara, and Asriel, and probably many other people, it was what they seemed. But they were many other things on the inside, things that they wanted to keep hidden, things that they wouldn't dare to reveal. If they did, they would no longer seem so reasonable. They would no longer be the kind, gentle child who tried to make friends with everybody that everybody seemed to think that they were.

So, in a self-denying, bittersweet sort of way, Frisk simply smiled in response.

“Well, anyways,” Chara said, suddenly loosening up the hug and turning away, “there's...something else that I wanted to say.”

“What is it?”

Chara grew quiet for a second. Then, they turned back to Frisk and smiled widely.

“You know, I also couldn't take you seriously, when you were in that costume while I was trying so hard to apologize.” Chara giggled. “I thought you would take it off! You were just standing there, in that sailor suit, with that giant ribbon on your head...”

Chara reached up with their hands to pinch Frisk on the cheek.

“You are the cutest person I have ever met.”

“Ah, stop it!”

“Frisk, I really don't know what I'd do without you.” Chara's expression became a little melancholic once again. “You're just...there, for me, every day. You always care so much about me, I just want to, I...”

“Yeah?”

Chara closed their eyes. “Frisk. I think...I have a proposal for you.”

Frisk listened carefully.

“I...want to be just a tiny bit more than your friend,” Chara began. “I know I'm a bit young to say this, but, ah...Frisk. Maybe, you can be my datefriend? Like, go dating with me, regularly?”

Frisk had to try to stifle their giggles. That was hardly a proposal. They had already dated Chara once before, and it definitely wouldn't hurt to do it again. Plus, Chara was pretty cute, too. 

“Yeah. I'll be your datefriend,” Frisk replied.

“Okay!”

Chara gave Frisk a quick kiss on their lips.

Then, they turned away, seemingly out of embarrassment, and pretended to be trying to go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually can't stop writing this story. I like the Charisk pairing too much! Even though I said back on chapter ten that the main plot had ended (as far as I had planned), I actually have a lot more to write, so - yeah, this story isn't going to end anytime soon. :)


	15. Letter

School started to become busy in the eleventh month. Swarmed with projects and reports, Frisk found themselves retreating to their room to do their homework every day after school. Chara would attempt to do their school work and was usually able to finish half of it before they decided to bug Frisk, asking them to come and play games together. Frisk, of course, preferred to complete everything for the day first.

“Why's it taking you so long to write a report?” Chara asked. “It takes me five minutes to write a paragraph.”

“A report isn't a paragraph, Chara,” Frisk responded without looking at them. They were too busy reading the latest news on their own monitor.

“Mother gave me a D+ when I handed in my last report,” Chara said. “And all I did was write a paragraph.”

Frisk was starting to feel annoyed. They alt-tabbed out of the news article that they were reading, having finished it, and began typing down notes.

“Do you think I want a D+?” they replied.

“That's enough to pass.”

“I don't want to just pass,” Frisk said. “I want to learn. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in the world right now, and writing a good report helps me process it better. I'm not just doing it for the marks. I want to become well-versed in everything.”

“...Frisk. You're too studious, you know that?”

Sighing, Chara returned to the game that they were playing on the computer. At a glance, Frisk saw that it was another one of those rage platformers that Chara had recently gotten into (they stopped playing visual novels after getting into a major argument with Alphys about one of them).

Later, when they went down to dinner, Frisk was surprised – and also rather worried – to find that Toriel had barely made anything for them. Toriel's dinners were usually feasts, but today, there was just some vegetable soup, with leftover pizza from yesterday. It had already been surprising enough that Toriel had ordered pizza for them last night, given that she usually preferred to cook her own meals. She emphasized nutrition, and believed that homemade food was the healthiest. Tonight's dinner and yesterday's was a stark departure from that belief.

Toriel looked fatigued. She also had an oddly anxious expression on her face as she sat down to eat. When she looked at Frisk and Chara, she looked as if she was ready to burst into tears.

“Mom, what's wrong?” Frisk asked, unable to hold themselves back from worrying.

“I am...just not in the best of moods,” Toriel replied. “Being both a teacher and headmaster of a school is taking a major toll on my energy. It is enjoyable, as you know that I have always wanted to be a teacher, but – at the same time – I have hardly slept for more than four hours each night for the past week.”

“Mother!” Chara said, appearing suddenly very concerned, “Please sleep more than that! I'll do the dishes tonight.”

“That is very kind of you, my child,” Toriel said, giving Chara a nod. However, her expression remained somber. “But there is more work for me to do tonight. If I do not complete everything, the school cannot run, and the students will not be able to come to class.”

“We'll help you with it,” Frisk offered. “Just tell us what we have to do.”

“You are very thoughtful,” Toriel replied, mustering up a slight smile. She gave Frisk a soft pat on the head. “But my work is my responsibility alone, and it would not be right for me to allow you to help. You are already burdened with homework, and I would not be happy making you do any more.” 

“It's all right,” Frisk said. “My homework's not that hard, anyways.”

A guilty look came over Chara's face.

“Well, it is not just that,” Toriel said, and her expression suddenly changed. 

It was an expression that Frisk had only seen a few times before, and the first time had been the moment that it became etched in their memory. Toriel steeled her expression, making a bitter frown, and her eyes became fierce and filled with determination. She stood up from her seat, towering over both Frisk and Chara. This was the expression that Toriel had made when she had attacked Frisk, long ago, when they had both been back at the ruins underground. It was an expression of fury and despair that Frisk would never forget.

“I...I have been meaning to tell you this for a while,” Toriel began, her tone steady. “It is something that, out of my own selfishness and fear, I have tried to hide from you. However, I have realized that the two of you deserve to hear it. Afterwards, no matter what choice you make, I will comply with your decision.”

Frisk looked at Chara, who returned a very confused expression. They turned back to face Toriel.

“What is it?” Frisk said at last.

“I...received a letter, last week, from your old friends,” Toriel said. Briefly, her voice wavered. “It sounded rather urgent, and I thought it was perhaps a bit rude. I hid it from you because of what the letter was asking. Now, I realize that it was not right for me to do so, and I shall tell you what the letter had said.”

“Who wrote it?” Chara asked.

For a second, Toriel's expression became doubtful again.

“...Sans,” she said finally.

Frisk leaned back in their seat. They had only ever known Sans as a humorous person, though – when he became serious – he tended to say some very strange and very dark things. Given the way that Toriel had described the letter, calling it 'urgent' and 'a bit rude', they braced themselves themselves for the worst.

“Sans requested that I send you and Chara to live somewhere else for a while,” Toriel continued. “It is the city that Alphys currently lives in, to be specific.” 

“Alphys?!” Frisk replied, throwing Chara another look.

“Alphys has agreed to this, but she does not yet know that Sans has sent us this letter,” Toriel said. “If you agree to this plan, simply give Sans a call, and he will let Alphys know. It seems, from the tone of this letter, that he has been planning this for a while. He also stressed that he does not doubt that I have been a good mother to you, and that – if you were to disagree with this plan – he would be fine with your decision, and he would not ask again. But, he also added something very strange.”

Frisk gulped. The look on Toriel's face grew rather dark.

“He said that the two of you may not be safe anymore.”

* * *

This news had come out of the blue. Frisk and Chara were both shown the letter, and they returned to their room after reading it. Chara sat down on the bed with a crestfallen expression on their face. Frisk sat on the chair beside the desk instead, pondering over everything that they had learned.

Sans' tone in his letter had been ominous, and the fact that Toriel had hid the letter from them for nearly a week meant that it was all the more urgent for them to reply quickly. In the letter, he also mentioned that Alphys would take care of their education, and she and Undyne would help to cook for them (Frisk found this to be mildly amusing). They would live in Alphys' new laboratory, which had comfortable housing quarters, and most of the staff were monsters, so Chara would not feel too distressed living there. They were not told the exact details of what this was all for, but Sans had ended the letter on a light-hearted tone, inviting Frisk to come and see all of their old friends again (there were no closing words for Chara).

“You're not actually thinking of doing this, are you?” Chara spoke up nervously.

Frisk didn't know how to respond. 

Somehow, they knew all along that this was going to happen. They had thought that being able to live with Toriel and Chara together and going to school every day as a normal human child was too good to be true. Yet, to their surprise, they weren't overly bothered by these news. In truth, they missed their old friends dearly, and the thought of moving in with them (or at least some of them – Alphys, Undyne, and maybe Sans, it seemed) was very tempting. They loved Toriel, and it would break their heart to leave her behind, but deep down, they felt that this 'normal life' was a bit too boring. It made them feel restless, and there had been that deep desire within them to go back to their old ways, to the kind of life where every day was a journey.

Or at least where every day could be different, as Alphys lived in a distant and much larger city. From reading about that city, they knew that there were a few million humans living there, along with a sizeable population of monsters. Alphys' new laboratory was, of course, located within the monster community.

“I'm...kind of tempted to,” Frisk replied softly.

Chara began to look distressed. “Why? Why do you want to leave mother's house? Don't you like living here?”

It was hard for Frisk to reply with their true feelings, but they decided to do so anyways.

“Chara, I love living here,” they began. “I love going to school with you and mom, and I love eating mom's delicious cooking.”

“So why do you want to leave?!”

“I...Chara, we're being a burden on her,” Frisk said, almost whispering. They pulled the chair towards the bed to sit closer to Chara. “She's stressed enough already having to manage her school while being a teacher. But having to take care of us every day is making her life even worse. I don't want her to have to worry about us all the time, and I think'd she feel much more relieved if she didn't have to cook every meal for us.”

“But...mother – Toriel wants to take care of us!”

“Yes, I know. And, at the same time, she's becoming too stressed because of it.”

Frisk stood up from their seat and sat down beside Chara on the bed.

“It's not that I want to make her feel worse by leaving her. I think, above everything, mom just wants us to be happy.” Their eyes lowered. “Chara, we're not going to be very happy seeing her so stressed every day, especially when she can't even cook for us anymore.”

“It could change,” Chara answered. “Things could become better for her. Maybe her work load will lessen.”

“I'd rather not rely on that.”

Chara narrowed their eyes and stared at Frisk suspiciously.

“Do you just want to see your old friends again?” they said suddenly. “I mean, that's all right – I understand, Frisk. But, why not just go and visit them? Why do you have to leave Toriel's house?”

“Because...they might have a good reason to ask us to go live with them,” Frisk answered. “I'll tell you what. Let's try living with Alphys and Undyne for a few months. If you don't like it, or something just doesn't work out, then we'll move right back. I don't think mom will really mind.”

“What if...what about Sans?” Chara said. “I don't think he likes me very much.”

“Sans? He's a joker. I doubt that he honestly dislikes you, especially since you're my friend. Err, datefriend, now.”

“He seemed awfully suspicious of me back at that restaurant!”

Frisk placed a hand on Chara's shoulder and leaned towards them.

“Okay, Chara. That was different. That was because you were kind of suggesting that I go and kill everybody back then. I know that you aren't like that anymore, and if Sans needs me to explain, I'll convince him that you're a much better person now.”

“Uh...”

“I trust you, Chara. In fact, more than anything, I would like to keep you around.” Frisk felt themselves beginning to blush. “So, uh, I guess, you have the final say on this. I won't go anywhere that you don't want to go.”

“You think I'm going to leave you?!” Chara replied. “No! If you want to move in with Alphys, then I'll go with you! We have to stay together, right?”

“Right. And we still need to go on more dates.”

“Ah, yeah, that too!” 

Frisk kissed Chara on the cheek, to which Chara responded by giggling, and then giving them a tight hug.

“Fine. I'll move out,” Chara said. “Just let me...say goodbye to mother. Oh, and we'll bring Asriel along, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Okay. Go and give Sans the call.” 

Chara jokingly pushed Frisk away from their embrace. 

Frisk went to pick up their phone. They found, as they dialed Sans' number, that they could feel their heart beating fast. It had been so long since they last saw their friends, and they were extremely excited to see them again, to hear their voices – to be back in those good old days.

In a way, Chara must be excited, too.

Chara and Alphys could probably spend all day playing games together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this chapter, a plot has finally been injected back into this story! It's still mostly going to be Charisk fluffery, as that's what I'm writing this story for, but we're moving into a new arc now. :)


	16. New Home

The six hour long train ride to the city of their new home, from noon to dusk, made Frisk feel stiff and sore. Chara looked like they were on the verge of death. Their head was slumped over, their eyes were only half open, and their mouth was curled in an expression that could only be described as a very repulsed frown.

Earlier that day, they had packed everything that they needed – mostly their clothes, their laptops, and Asriel – and said goodbye to Toriel as they prepared to leave. Toriel had a tearful expression on her face as they were about to go, and Chara ended up giving her a very long hug, which Frisk joined in. They thanked Toriel for everything that she had done for them, and wished her the best in her future endeavours as a teacher. In return, Toriel told Chara to always be on their best behaviour, and to Frisk, to never lose their passion for learning. 

Now that they had arrived, Frisk looked out the window and saw enormous crowds of people streaming through the train station. It would no doubt be like this outside the station as well, and they began to feel worried for Chara.

“Do you want to hold my hand again?” Frisk asked as they stood up and grabbed their luggage. 

Chara seemed curiously ambivalent. “...Yes,” they replied after some deliberation.

“All right.”

“But, Frisk, I don't want you to think that I'll always be scared of being around other humans,” Chara said. “I'm starting to get used to seeing them. Sometimes, I still feel nervous when I'm in a crowd, but it's getting better.”

Frisk smiled in response. “That's good. But, I'll still hold your hand if you need me to!”

“Okay.”

It occurred to Frisk as they left the train and entered the station that they and Chara probably looked like siblings when they walked, holding hands together. No one would suspect that they were actually dating each other – not that they cared at all what other people thought. A normal human being would probably think that they were just two children who loved each other enough that they didn't mind showing themselves holding hands in public. To a curious onlooker, it might even appear cute.

They were growing old enough to start having these thoughts, it seemed.

The station was a cacophony of noise, from the speaker announcements of the arriving and departing trains to the myriad of conversations all around them, to the sound of hundreds of boots and heels walking past. There were dozens of different exits out into the city, so they were wary of becoming lost. According to Alphys' instructions, they had to take the stairs to the second floor and then leave via exit 4B, which would take them to the bus terminal. Then, they would take bus 38 to New Home Street (was Asgore responsible for naming these places?), the heart of the city's monster community, and then walk east for three blocks to arrive at the laboratory.

Chara had asked if they could just be given a ride instead, but neither Alphys nor Undyne had their drivers' licenses yet. Out of all of Frisk's old friends, only Papyrus and Sans had their licenses, and neither of them were available on that day. They were still doing ambassador work alongside Asgore, according to Alphys.

This struck Frisk as strange. They couldn't imagine Sans doing any work at all.

Outside the station at the bus terminal, it was cold and windy, and the next bus 38 still had twelve minutes before it arrived. While they waited, they heard a tapping come from within one of their luggage bags, and Frisk opened it.

“Hey! Are we there yet?” Asriel's voice came from inside.

Frisk stared at the flower pot, all snuggled up nicely inside the bag, which was now covered in dirt. They glanced quickly around, making sure that nobody was looking at them. Monsters was one thing, but a talking flower would be even more difficult to explain.

“Shhh,” Frisk replied, though they were smiling. “Almost. We're out of the train station, but we're still waiting for the bus. We'll get there in about half an hour.”

“Asriel?” Chara said as they peered over the edge of the bag. “How are you feeling?”

There was still a bit of nervousness in Asriel's voice when he spoke to Chara due to the argument that they had a couple of weeks ago, but Chara's renewed friendliness towards him seemed to make him feel reassured.

“I'm fine,” Asriel answered. “It's warm and snug in here. Just a bit...claustrophobic. Oh, and when you start walking again, can you not sway this bag around so much?”

Chara reached down into the bag and patted one of Asriel's petals. “Okay. I'll keep that in mind.”

“Also!” Asriel said, his face becoming brighter. “When you get there, introduce me, too!”

“It might be a bit awkward to, uh, introduce you to Undyne,” Frisk said. “But Alphys will understand. She's the one that's been doing research to try and help you.”

“Oh...”

A cold wind blew at them, and Asriel visibly shivered.

“Eh, close the bag, please!” Asriel said. “It's so cold outside.”

“You're telling us,” Chara said. Frisk zipped up the bag again.

When the bus arrived, they got onto it, along with about a hundred other people. Nearly half of them were monsters, since the bus went directly to New Home Street. Frisk and Chara sat on the second floor. Once again, Chara had the window seat. 

The sights of the city zoomed past them. This was one of the cities that the humans called a metropolis. It was the largest in the country, and also one of the most diverse. 

They were actually quite fortunate. 

Before monsters returned to the surface, the humans were already in the middle of a large diversification reform, in which immigration policies were relaxed and new laws were introduced to promote both racial and sexual diversity. The monsters had initially laughed at the fact that humans still categorized each other with the idea of race. To monsters, all humans looked almost exactly the same. The differences in looks between monsters was much greater, and so monster culture treated diversity as granted. 

But, because of this reform, humans had been much more open to accepting monsters when they returned to the world. The transition of monsters in creating monster communities within the various cities in the world (that accepted them) was much like how, in the past, humans from different cultures created their own communities when they immigrated into different countries. It was done to preserve culture, not to promote segregation. In most of these large cities, monsters were accepted immediately into the community as well as the workplace.

From reading the news, Frisk knew that this was not always the case, and – unfortunately – tragic incidents of violence and discrimination had indeed occurred repeatedly between humans and monsters, sometimes resulting in death. It was due to these cases that Asgore had to take over Papyrus' role as ambassador, and he pushed to add new laws to make monsters equal under the law as humans. These laws were quickly accepted.

They saw, as they looked outside the window, first the city's business district, full of towering skyscrapers and sterile cement roads. Then, the bus passed by a park, and also a university, before turning into a section of the city that was remarkably more interesting. It looked like a marketplace, as it was full of shops and restaurants. Many of the stores here displayed languages that were not English, and these languages had always fascinated Frisk before when they went on their journeys across the world. Unlike English, some of these languages were made entirely of elegant symbols, almost like runes, while other languages had alphabets whose characters were long and curly. Then there were the languages that looked very much like English, but they couldn't recognize a single word being spelled.

The traffic in this marketplace grew to become tedious. What was originally supposed to be a twenty minute bus ride turned into one that was over forty.

When it finally arrived onto New Home Street, they got off and spent a bit of time looking around.

It was the first true 'Monster Community' that they had seen within a city (other than the monster-only market that they had visited last month). There were many stores here that reminded Frisk of the towns that they had visited underground. Grillby's seemed to have turned into a franchise, as they were several spinoffs around. There was a ship with a familiar looking old turtle's head posted in its front, selling both junk and antiques. Several spider parlours were around, along with nice cream stalls, and even a Mettaton-branded dance club. 

Alphys' laboratory was a huge gated building that looked like it was half an apartment. When they arrived inside, they realized that it actually was.

“Hey, kid! How long's it been?” 

Frisk turned to see Alphys and Undyne walking towards them. They almost couldn't help themselves but run up to them and give both of them a hug.

“Still as wimpy as always, huh?” Undyne said, grinning. “You call that a hug? THIS is a hug!”

Undyne lifted Frisk up into her arms and squeezed them hard enough to make them feel like this was another battle with her. Then, she put Frisk down, and they turned to face Alphys, who was looking at Chara nervously. A smile was slowly spreading across her lips.

“H-hi, Frisk!” Alphys said, clearly trying her hardest to sound confident. “I-I haven't s-seen you since w-we left the underground! H-how's life been for you?”

“It's been great,” Frisk replied, which seemed to surprise both her and Undyne.

“You can talk now?!” Undyne exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Frisk said. “Uh, I mean, I could always talk, but now, I've gotten used to talking more.”

“T-that's good,” Alphys said, before tilting her head to the side to look at Chara, who was standing in a corner of the room with their arms folded. There was an indifferent expression on Chara's face, as if they didn't care about this reunion. 

“S-so, u-uh, th-that's Chara, I guess,” Alphys continued. She walked towards them. “Ah, Chara? Uh...”

Chara gave Alphys a mildly contemptuous look.

“S-sorry about that argument we had the other day,” Alphys said, turning her head down. “I was, uh...I-I'm sorry, uh, for getting mad at you b-because you thought Mew Mew Kissy 3 was better than the original.”

This seemed to soften up Chara's expression. They looked at Alphys more kindly, and tried to muster up a smile.

“Ah, yeah, I guess I got carried away in that argument,” Chara said. “So, uh, sorry for telling you that your taste was garbage, and, uh, for saying that you should...”

Chara appeared suddenly very uncomfortable.

“I f-forgive you for that!” Alphys said. “B-but uh, you have quite the colourful language for an eleven year old! Eh-heh-heh...”

“At least we both agree that Mew Mew Kissy 2 was trash for ruining her entire character arc, right?” Chara said, finally giving a full smile. 

“Yeah!”

“Hey, Frisk,” Undyne spoke up, “Is Chara really going to be moving in with us?” 

“Of course!” Frisk answered.

Undyne appeared surprised by the force of Frisk's response. 

“Th-that's perfectly fine!” Alphys said, shuffling back to stand beside Undyne. “We have lots of rooms in our laboratory. I-I'm sure the two of you will really like it. H-here, let's help you move all your luggage!”

Alphys went to pick up one of Frisk's bags, while Undyne put on a grin, jumped towards the other bags, and picked all of them up with one arm. Then, she picked up all of Chara's bags with her other arm.

There was a voice that went “OW! Ah, oww! Hey, watch it!” from inside one of those bags.

“Uh, what?” Undyne said.

Frisk tried to stifle a giggle. They reached towards the bag and pulled it down from Undyne's arm.

“Let me carry that one,” they replied.

* * *

Alphys hadn't been kidding. They were given a room like one in a condo, with a large window that looked out over the city streets below. It was on the sixth floor of the laboratory, out of a total of twelve. There was a kitchen, a living room with couches and a TV with several gaming consoles beside it, a large bathroom, and a bedroom with two beds. (They were probably still going to sleep together, but Alphys didn't need to know that...yet)

When Frisk unpacked Asriel, both Undyne and Alphys turned to stare at the flower in shock.

“Howdy!” Asriel said in greeting. “I'm, uh, Asriel. Nice to meet you two!”

“This is...Asriel,” Frisk said, pointing to the flower with an awkward smile on their face. “He's been living with us ever since we left the underground.”

“Don't worry, I'm not much trouble,” Asriel said, mainly to Undyne.

“A TALKING FLOWER?”

“Oh, y-yeah, heh-heh,” Alphys said, turning towards Undyne. “This is...Asriel. He, uh, needs to have a s-soul again, s-so I've been trying to d-do research to help him with that.”

Undyne stared at the flower suspiciously, causing Asriel to lean away in fright.

“Don't scare him!” Chara shouted, which even made Undyne back off. “We're going to take care of him until he can get his soul back.”

“I-I'll explain everything l-later, okay?” Alphys said to Undyne.

“...Isn't Asriel the name of the king's former son?”

“A l-lot of explaining, I guess.” Alphys cringed.

After they had unpacked everything, Alphys went to give them a tour of the laboratory.

The whole place was full of scientists, both monster and human. Each floor had a central laboratory, and on every third floor, there was a cafeteria that was open from dawn to midnight. On the eleventh floor, there was a bar and a gym, and on the twelfth floor, there was a swimming pool.

“T-the government owns this laboratory, but they transferred control of it o-over to m-me when I became h-head of the science faculty at the university,” Alphys said, blushing a little.

“Wait. So you're also a professor?” Frisk asked, startled.

“Y-yeah. The university r-really liked my research into 'determination', and they agreed to g-give me this whole b-building to me so that I can further my r-research.”

“Isn't she amazing?” Undyne said, rubbing Alphys' spiky head.

“A-actually, I-I've started to do research on s-something else, too,” Alphys said quietly. “B-but, I-I'm sure that can wait until later f-for me to tell you!”

They were inside the elevator. Alphys pressed the button to return to the sixth floor. Upon studying the panel, Frisk noticed that there was also a basement floor.

“So, what's in the basement?” they asked.

“Oh, uh, that's j-just a storage room,” Alphys replied. Her eyes darted away from Frisk's. “But, d-don't go down there! It's d-dark, and dirty, and I w-wouldn't want y-you to, uh, to – to get l-lost, or anything!”

Frisk raised their eyes curiously.

“Yeah, don't go there!” Undyne chimed. “I went there once. It was dark, it was cramped, and it was full of dirt! IT SUCKED!”

“Uh, dirt?” Alphys said suddenly.

“DON'T GO THERE!” Undyne repeated.

Conveniently, Undyne and Alphys' room was located right beside Frisk and Chara's. They went into their room first to check it out.

It was the most contrasting mix of atmosphere that they had ever seen. One side of the living was full of glittery posters and bookshelves containing games, books, and anime. The other side was saturated with workout equipment and 'motivational' posters that looked like they came from a medieval torture chamber.

“S-so, this is w-where Undyne and I live!” Alphys said. “D-do you two like it?”

“I love it!” Chara responded. “Hey, Alphys. Do you want to play games together tonight?”

Alphys giggled. “Oh, y-yeah, sure! But, f-first, let me cook dinner.”

Frisk watched as Alphys opened up their cupboards. To their surprise, it was full of bags of rice, seaweed packets, soy sauce bottles, sesame oil, curry sauce, and ramen noodles. The fridge was saturated with green onions.

“Why all the-” 

“Oh my god,” Alphys said, turning around. Her eyes looked like they were almost sparkling. “Did I tell you about my trip to this country called Japan? IT WAS-”

“Yeah, you told me,” Chara said. “You learned how to cook a whole bunch of Japanese dishes, right? And now you literally can't eat anything else so you went to the local Asian supermarket and you bought all the ingredients that you need to make your favourite Japanese food for the rest of your life?”

“Uh, yeah, r-right!”

“So, what are we having for dinner?” Chara asked.

“I'll m-make Katsudon for you!” Alphys said, before turning to face Undyne. “A-and th-this time, I w-won't end up burning everything!”

Undyne made a snarky expression. “You s-sure about that, Alphys?”

“W-well, u-uh, maybe you don't need to help me with it this time," Alphys said, cringing again.


	17. Sick Chara

Chara became friends with Alphys quickly. It was heartening to see them having common interests, which they talked about over dinner, before eagerly transitioning to a session of playing video games together. Undyne almost seemed jealous at first, but Chara softened her up by telling her that they liked her taste in posters (which depicted a massive array of weapons). Later, after Alphys had left to do one of her late night experiments, Chara asked Undyne a surprising question.

“Hey, Undyne,” Chara began, “Alphys told me that you knew how to play the piano.”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Can you...teach me, too?”

A puzzled look came over Undyne's face, and it took a moment for her to respond. “Why?”

“I'm interested.”

“Heh. Normally, I charge for lessons,” Undyne said, grinning. “Half the kids who've tried having me as a teacher give up after their first hour!”

Chara gave Undyne a sneering smile. “So, you're a bad teacher?”

Undyne bared her teeth. “You think I'm not good enough to teach a little punk like you? YOU'RE ON! Our first lesson will be tomorrow morning!”

“Doesn't Alphys have something planned for us tomorrow?” Frisk spoke up. 

About an hour ago, Alphys had mentioned that her colleagues had helped her to prepare an education curriculum for them in order to make up for the fact that they would no longer be going to Toriel's school. Their first lesson would start tomorrow, and their schooling was to take place in a specially prepared classroom within the university. They'll have private tutors, and Alphys herself would teach them the more technical subjects.

To Chara, the mere mention of school had already started to bore them. Frisk guessed that they were probably trying to find a way out of it.

“I'LL MAKE AN EXCEPTION!” Undyne yelled. “Your first class in school will be a piano lesson with me! I'll convince Alphys!”

Chara folded their arms and smiled again.

* * *

The next morning, Frisk woke up and was briefly confused as they wondered why their room looked so different. Then, they remembered that they were no longer living inside Toriel's house.

A pang of sadness struck them as they realized that they would no longer be waking up to the smell of Toriel's delicious cooking. She would no longer be there to talk to them, to teach them, to hug them, or to make them butterscotch-cinnamon pie. Alphys' cooking wasn't bad, and she would probably be a more entertaining friend for Chara, and this city was more interesting to explore, but – still – they missed Toriel dearly already. Familiarity was such a nice thing to have, and such a bad thing to lose.

It struck them, also, that they still didn't know why exactly Sans and Alphys had requested for them to come and live with them. Alphys didn't mention a thing about it last night.

Frisk leaned to their right to face Chara, who was still asleep. At a glance towards the clock in their room, they saw that it was already eight in the morning. Alphys had requested for them to be up by now so that they could have breakfast in her room. Frisk gently tapped Chara's shoulder to wake them up.

Chara opened their eyes very slowly. They seemed confused as well, and stared around the room for a few seconds. Then, they closed their eyes again and buried their face into the pillow.

“Good morning,” Frisk said, smiling. “It's eight o' clock, Chara.”

They didn't reply.

“Okay. I'll tell Alphys that you want to sleep more, and I'll ask her if I can bring your food to your room.”

Frisk got out of bed and put on socks. Then, they took off their pyjamas to put on pants, and topped off their outfit with their blue and purple striped sweater. As they walked to the exit of their room, they heard Chara shift around in bed.

“Frisk,” Chara said in a hoarse voice, “I don't feel well.”

“Are you okay?” Frisk asked in response.

Chara rubbed their eyes. “No. I...think I'm sick.”

Frisk walked towards them and put a hand on their forehead. It felt very warm – much warmer than their own forehead. Chara pulled up the blankets around them and curled up their legs, shrouding themselves beneath the blankets. They turned away from Frisk and opened their mouth weakly.

“I feel...awful,” Chara continued. “I don't want to get out of bed right now.”

“I understand,” Frisk replied. “I'll tell Alphys about this, and then maybe we can get you to see a doctor.”

“Isn't Alphys a doctor?”

“She's a doctor in, well, uh – other subjects.”

Chara buried their face into their pillow again. Frisk decided to hurry and left the room.

They knocked on Alphys' door, and Undyne answered. A smell of eggs and toast wafted out from behind her, and they could see Alphys standing at the kitchen counter, cooking.

“Hey, Frisk!” Undyne said. “Come on in. Where's Chara?”

“They're sick,” Frisk responded, causing Undyne's smile to fade. Alphys turned to look at them.

“Oh. Th-that's not good! Let's get a d-doctor to check on them, okay?”

“Right.”

Alphys made the call while Frisk sat down to have breakfast. It was surprisingly delicious. Not as homely or as well-prepared as Toriel's cooking (which was to be expected – kitchen stoves didn't really compare to the perfection of heating achievable with fire magic), but, compared to the meagre provisions that they had to eat every morning when they had spent their days journeying, it was rather good. They finished their glass of orange juice in time for the doctor, a cow monster, to arrive.

After checking Chara's symptoms, the doctor concluded that they had the flu. She prescribed some Ibuprofen and suggested for Chara to drink lots of water and get lots of sleep.

This was somewhat relieving for Frisk. The words 'Chara got sick' didn't exactly carry any positive connotations, given what had happened the last time Chara became extremely ill. Of course, they wanted Chara to feel better, but they had gotten the vague feeling that it could've turned out to be much, much worse. 

Chara's sickness meant, of course, that classes were cancelled for them.

“Go to your own classes,” Chara said to Frisk once the doctor had left. Their voice was weak, and they looked like they were barely maintaining consciousness.

“I'd rather stay with you,” Frisk replied softly. “To, you know, make sure I can report on how you're feeling.”

Despite being sick, Chara was able to muster up an annoyed expression.

“Don't worry about me,” they said. “I just need to sleep.”

“But, Chara...”

“You're going to catch my flu if you stay in my room all day,” Chara continued, frowning now. They leaned over in bed to rest on their left side. “I don't want you to get sick, Frisk.”

“I'll be fine.”

“Get Asriel to watch over me,” Chara said. “It's not like he has anything else to do today.”

That was actually a surprisingly good idea. Frisk nodded and complied, bringing Asriel's flower pot beside Chara's bed. When Asriel saw Chara, sick and lying in bed, he made a shocked expression.

“Oh, no! CHARA! Are you-”

“No, Asriel. I'm not going to die this time.” Chara tried to smile. “It's just a stupid flu. Frisk won't leave me alone, so I told them to get you to watch me today.”

“...A fl-flu. Oh,” Asriel responded. He still had a concerned look on his face. “I was worried that you were, well...”

Chara closed their eyes and sighed. They looked like they were too tired to continue talking, but, after resting for a moment, they started to speak again.

“It's okay, Asriel. I'm not so stupid anymore. Trust me, I'll be fine.”

Asriel nodded his flower head. “Okay. I trust you.”

Chara opened one eye to stare at Frisk.

“What are you still doing here?” Chara said, an ounce of strength returning to their voice. “It's nine, Frisk. Shouldn't you get over to your classes?”

Frisk lowered their eyes, looking quite somber. “I just...I want to stay by your side, Chara.”

“Ugh.”

Chara raised their head slightly. “You care too much about me, Frisk. I'm going to be fine – I promise. You want to learn, right? So, get out. Go to your classes and do your learning already.”

Frisk stood up at last. “All right. I guess Asriel's good enough.”

“Yes, he is.”

“If you really want me to, then I'll go.”

“Yes, I want you to.”

* * *

A chauffeur (a cat monster) brought Frisk and Alphys to the university, which was a fifteen minutes' drive away. It was the first time that Frisk had seen a university before, and though their mind was still plagued with worries about Chara, they couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement as they walked onto campus.

This was, according to Alphys, the largest and most prestigious human university in the country. There were over a hundred thousand students, and a recent initiative had been made to immediately start accepting monsters into its classes and programs, regardless of their financial capabilities. It was, therefore, also one of the most diverse educational institutions in the world.

Alphys gave Frisk a quick tour of the campus, showing them all of the different faculties' buildings and hangouts. There were over three cafeterias on campus, along with a myriad of smaller eateries, and a park was also situated in the middle of the university. This was the park, Frisk realized, that they had passed yesterday by bus. That meant a good portion of the city's roads crossed directly through campus, which must be convenient for the students who lived further away.

The inside of the park was full of gardens, fountains, and statues. Several of the student dormitories and one of the cafeterias were built on the edge of the park so that the people inside could have a good view out the window. At this time of year, however, most of the trees and flowers were dead, so there wasn't much to see. 

“I d-didn't plan much for you to do t-today, fortunately,” Alphys said. “So, I guess, y-you can explore and do whatever you want. I'll be h-hosting a lecture at one of the sciences buildings in an hour, s-so you can come and listen if you want.”

“Which building is it?”

Alphys pointed to a tall building across the park.

“Th-that one,” she replied. “It's the physics b-building, in case you need to know.”

“Okay,” Frisk said, nodding.

They went immediately to the library first, fascinated at the thought of being able to read all the books inside. Back when they lived with Toriel, all they had had was the school library, which contained a comparatively pitiful selection of books.

Quickly enough, they stockpiled a pile of books from the library's history, sociology, and anthropology sections, intending on furthering their reading into social studies. A couple of passing students gave them odd looks, as if wondering what a child was doing reading such thick textbooks. Frisk ignored them, grabbed a snack from the nearby cafeteria (some fries), and sat down to begin reading.

The history books engrossed them enough that two hours flew by, and they realized that they had just missed Alphys' lecture. (This was okay. She was probably giving a lecture on university level physics, which was too complicated a subject for Frisk to listen to at the moment. They did have an interest in science, but they'd probably have to do a lot of prior reading before they could understand what was going on) They gave Alphys a quick call to let her know about their current whereabouts.

In the afternoon, Alphys arrived to picked them up. 

“Want to check out these books for me?” Frisk asked, giving Alphys a wide grin.

“Oh, err, s-sure!” Alphys replied, pulling out her faculty member card. “Wow, Frisk. I d-didn't know that you liked ancient human history so much.”

“It's fascinating!”

“W-would you like to know about what I'm teaching?”

Frisk rubbed their hair and smiled again. “Umm, maybe later, when I can understand all of it?”

“O-okay.”

As in the morning, the cat monster chauffeur arrived to pick them up. When Frisk got back to the laboratory, they went quickly to their room to check up on Chara. To their surprise, they found Undyne there, sitting on a chair by Chara's side.

“Oh, hey, Frisk,” Undyne said, flashing a smile at them. “Chara's doing all right. You don't need to worry too much about them.”

“...Did Chara tell that to you?”

“Yeah, they did, but they're sleeping right now.” Undyne stood up and walked towards them. “Just let them rest.”

“...What else did Chara tell you?”

“NOTHING!” Undyne exclaimed, before quickly leaving the room.

Frisk sat down by the window and opened up the book that they had checked out to continue reading it.

Later, Alphys arrived with their dinner. For Frisk, she had made ramen with soy sauce, and, for Chara, she brought a bowl containing just the broth (chicken and vegetable soup).

“Thank you,” Frisk said. Alphys nodded, smiled shyly, and left.

Chara had opened their eyes again. However, they looked too weak to even move, so Frisk moved a chair to sit beside them. They brought the bowl of soup along in their hands.

“Oh, damn it, Frisk,” Chara said, their voice even weaker than it had been in the morning. “You're not going to be feeding me now, are you?”

“...How else are you going to eat?”

Chara tried to move their hand, but as soon as they had lifted it above their head, they tucked it away into the blanket again.

“...Fine.”

Frisk filled their spoon with some soup and lifted it towards Chara's mouth. Chara opened their mouth and drank the soup slowly, closing their eyes again as they swallowed. They made an expression of disgust.

“Ugh. I can't smell anything.”

“Just drink, Chara.”

Frisk gave them a couple more spoonfuls of soup. Then, Chara opened their eyes and stared at them. They still looked extremely weak and uncomfortable. However, after a while, a look of relief began to appear over Chara's face. Frisk continued feeding them, and it seemed to work in making them feel better. Slowly, a smile started to spread across Chara's lips.

When Frisk put the spoon at their mouth next, Chara lifted up their head this time to drink. They turned to look at Frisk, and they made a slight grin.

“Y-you know, Frisk. Back then, when I lived with...Asriel, and his family, I used to get sick a lot, too.” They gulped as Asriel's face reappeared on the nearby flower. “Sick normally, I mean.”

“Dad said you weren't very healthy,” Asriel whispered. “That's why you were able to convince them so easily when you came up with your plan.”

“I know.” Chara's smile faded. “Well, it was mom that fed me whenever I couldn't get out of bed. And...even Asriel, sometimes, too.”

“Sometimes? You mean all the time!” Asriel said. “Remember that time when you begged me to stay by your side and give you chocolate, but I refused, because chocolate wasn't good for you when you're sick?”

“...Yeah,” Chara replied after staying silent for a few seconds.

Frisk dipped their spoon into the bowl again. It was about half finished. They were glad that Chara was well enough to eat at least a little.

“And, that time when you ate something bad, and you couldn't stop vomiting, and mom and I had to help to clean your bed sheets?”

A look of embarrassment came over Chara's face. “Uh...right.”

“And, that other time, when you got strep throat, and you couldn't even swallow anything – Mom and I literally had to force you to eat food after you went two days without touching any!”

“Y-yeah, Asriel. I remember.”

“And, remember when you had the pox, and none of the monster doctors even wanted to touch you?”

“...”

“But, you know, none of that mattered in the end,” Asriel said, lowering his voice to a whisper. “When you...decided to go through with your plan, Chara, nothing we did could ever help you. I think, both mom and I knew, deep down, that this was it...this was going to be your final sickness. And, then, I just wanted to, I just wanted-”

Frisk didn't know how to describe it, but it looked like Asriel was on the verge of tears. A flower couldn't cry, however, so he was making an expression that just looked like a very deep sadness. For a moment, Frisk felt like they could almost cry, too.

Chara's eyes didn't move. They simply stared at Frisk, before finally turning their eyes to Asriel. A second later, they opened their mouth.

“...I don't expect you to ever forgive me, Asriel.”

Asriel stared back blankly.

“What are you saying, Chara? I already forgive you! I don't care what you did back then, as long as you're alive right now!”

“...I suppose, what I meant-” Chara moved up their hand to cover their face “-was that I don't ever expect to forgive myself.”

Frisk moved their spoon to Chara's mouth. “Don't cover your face,” they said simply. “Here. Have another drink.”

To Frisk's surprise, when Chara moved their hand away, they were already crying.

“I don't, I mean – the two of you,” Chara said in a choked voice. “You're both, both so nice to me. Even after all the things I've done, you, you still care about me, you still want to have me, you still want me to get better, you-”

“Just drink, Chara,” Frisk said.

Chara shook their head. “Frisk. Asriel. I don't know what to say to you two. I don't know how I can express my gratitude for you. I, I...”

“Please, Chara. We're your friends. We just want you to feel better,” Asriel said.

Frisk nodded. 

“You two...”

“There, there,” Frisk sat, patting Chara on the forehead. They didn't want Chara to feel so emotional, especially when they needed their energy to get better.

“Frisk-”

They moved the spoon in front of Chara's mouth again. Finally, Chara took a sip.

“When you're sick, I'll take care of you,” Frisk said, leaning towards Chara and smiling. “No matter what. Everything else comes after you get better.”

Chara blinked, and a few tears fell from their eyes. They sniffed.

“...Thank you. Thank you so much,” they whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incidentally, I'm sick too. Writing fluff makes it all better!


	18. Timelines

Frisk's eyes darted open. They sat up and looked around, but saw only darkness. Within the darkness, shapes were appearing, but those shapes didn't make any sense. The more they tried to see them, the more frightening the shapes began to seem. They felt themselves saying something, but they didn't understand what it was. Nothing made any sense. A voice was speaking back to them. Like the shapes, the voice was incomprehensible, and when they tried to listen to it, they just felt more and more scared.

Frisk gripped their head with their hands and screamed. What came out was nonsense. They didn't hear their own voice.

Some time passed, and things started to fall in place again. They blinked until the shapes around them became shapes that they could recognize: their bed, the walls of their room, the door, the window, and Chara. And then they listened, and they realized that it was Chara speaking to them, not some intangible voice with no origin. There was someone holding them, too. They looked carefully at this person, ascertaining that they were who they believed it to be.

“Frisk. Frisk. I'm here. Don't say those things. I'm here for you.”

Chara was holding them tightly. So tightly, in fact, that Frisk thought for a moment that they were being squeezed by Undyne. But it was Chara, and they were leaning against them with arms wrapped around their body. Chara's head lay against their shoulder. It was comforting to have them so close. Slowly, Frisk's breathing started to relax, and they began to calm down. They could feel themselves sweating.

“Are you okay? It's fine, Frisk. Everything is fine.”

Frisk raised their arm and wrapped their hand around Chara's back, holding them with all their strength. They took a deep breath, allowing the comfort of the hug reassure them. Having Chara so close made them feel secure. They held onto Chara as if letting go would make them fall back into that void of nonsense and terror.

Chara looked up at them. There was a sad expression in their eyes.

“Frisk. Was everything that you said...was it all true?”

Frisk blinked in response. “What?”

“All those things you said when you started flailing around.”

“I...don't remember,” Frisk said. They were starting to feel like they were going to get into a lot of trouble.

“That's scary.”

“What is?”

“You were inconsolable,” Chara continued. “You just sat up in bed, grabbed the blankets, and started yelling for some reason. I woke up and I grabbed you and I hugged you until you calmed down. But...you said a lot of strange things in the meantime.”

A pang of guilt struck Frisk. It wasn't like them to be like this. It wasn't like them at all to lose all their self-control, to be the one that needed consolation – to be the one that needed Chara's comfort.

“I'm sorry,” Frisk said, letting their head fall against Chara's shoulder. “I really don't remember anything. I don't even know why this happened.”

“It's all right,” Chara whispered. “Nightmares happen sometimes.”

“That was a...nightmare?”

Frisk had had nightmares before. They filled them with fear and anxiety, but this time, it was different. It was outright terror. They didn't remember what their dream was about, and when they thought about what they had seen and heard when they woke up, they couldn't make any sense of it. All they could remember was a feeling of pure dread – like a vague notion that everything had went wrong, and everything was spiralling out of control.

“I think so,” Chara replied.

Frisk softened their grip on Chara. They tried to lean back, but Chara didn't let them, instead giving them another tight hug.

Despite that, Frisk felt thankful. They let themselves collapse against Chara, to feel their closeness and warmth. When they breathed again, they realized that they were shuddering.

“What were the things that I said?” Frisk asked weakly.

“I think it's better if I wait until tomorrow morning to tell you,” Chara replied. “You...probably don't want to hear about them right now.”

“But why?”

Chara patted them on the back. “Just trust me, Frisk,” they said.

“But...I don't think I can sleep without knowing!”

With a playful smile, Chara gripped Frisk and then laid their head back down, causing Frisk to fall beside them. Then, Chara leaned towards Frisk, nuzzling against their face.

“You can hold me while you sleep,” Chara whispered into Frisk's ear. “I'll keep everything secret until you wake up tomorrow.”

“...”

Chara kissed Frisk on the nose. “I promise.”

“...Chara?”

“Yeah?”

“I...didn't say anything really bad or inappropriate, did I?”

“Umm...”

Frisk closed their eyes and buried themselves against Chara. They wanted to feel that closeness again, that sense of security from having them right within their arms. “I really hope I didn't.”

“...I'll tell you everything when you're ready.”

* * *

“A-actually, that s-sounds more like a night terror,” Alphys said. “I r-read about it once. The symptoms are inconsolability, p-panic, increased heart rate and breathing, and thrashing around.”

Chara turned to face Frisk. “That seems, right.”

“I...hope I didn't do anything out of line,” Frisk said embarrassedly. 

“T-tell me, Chara,” Alphys said, her tone suddenly becoming very concerned, “What did Frisk say when they woke up?”

Frisk had already heard everything from Chara, before they went to Alphys' room to have breakfast. They could hardly believe it, and their first reaction was to wonder if Chara was lying or just playing a prank on them. But, even if Chara had been playing a prank, they would never tell them something so obscenely...dark. Even for Chara, it was ridiculously grim.

“You can tell her,” Frisk said to Chara with a nod.

“Do you really want me to?”

“...Yes.”

Chara turned to face Alphys, a sad look coming over their face again.

“I d-don't mean to intrude on your p-privacy,” Alphys said. “If you don't want to tell m-me, that's o-okay!”

“It's fine,” Frisk said before Chara could speak up.

Sighing, Chara began to recount everything that they had told Frisk.

“Frisk was saying that...they were back in the underground again,” Chara said. “They said that this time, there was nobody around, no matter where they went. They kept calling for help, but nobody came.”

“They went all the way to Asgore's castle. Along the way, all they saw was dust. Dust covered the ground and walls and everything around them. The more they walked, the more the dust kept appearing.”

Just hearing that sent shivers down Frisk's spine. 

“Right before they entered the throne room, they fought...a friend,” Chara continued. “It was Sans. They fought, and they kept losing, and blood covered the entire hall. But then, they finally managed to win. After that, they couldn't stop themselves from killing. They just hit and stabbed and slashed until everything had disintegrated into dust, and there was nothing left but blackness. And then...they saw me.”

“The last thing you said,” Chara said, turning towards Frisk, “before you came to, I mean. The last thing you said was that you made this decision long, long ago. And then, you told me that I killed you.”

Alphys' face went white. Frisk couldn't help but shudder again.

“...Alphys?” Chara said.

She appeared sweaty, and her hands and feet were starting to shake.

“Ummm...Frisk, Chara,” Alphys said, “Th-there's something that I've b-been meaning to show you. I, I g-guess I've been avoiding it f-for long enough, now. B-but! It's the r-reason why I told Sans to ask Toriel to let you two c-come live with me and Undyne. I...I should have shown y-you this much sooner.”

Alphys turned to face the door of their room. “Come w-with me,” she said. “I'll t-take you to my personal laboratory.”

Frisk and Chara exchanged doubtful glances at each other. Chara stood up first, and then Frisk.

“Do you...want to hold my hand?” Chara asked, blushing a little. “If you don't feel well, I can walk with you.”

“I guess,” Frisk replied, their voice still shaky.

They took Chara's hand and walked together out of the room, following after Alphys. From the elevator, they went down to the third floor, where Alphys' main laboratory was located. Like her lab back in the underground, it consisted of a single hall with a large monitor display, wooden desks stacked with papers, and a washroom. Alphys led them in front of the monitor.

“Th-this is where I've been doing all my l-latest research,” Alphys began, turning on the screen. “I h-haven't just been working on studying souls and d-determination. Someone...uh, Sans, gave me a suggestion, and I s-started looking into a new subject: timelines.”

Chara coughed, still a little sick. “Sans?”

“Y-yes. He introduced some m-methods by which I could study other timelines. H-here, I'll show you our research.”

The monitor turned on to reveal the startup screen of UnderOS (the most popular operating system used by monsters – also a derivative of Unix). Alphys tapped a few keys, and the screen transitioned to display the interface of some program called Timeline Tracker. 

“I'm s-sure you know,” Alphys said, facing Frisk, “That multiple t-timelines exist, since you can do a 'r-reset'. But resetting simply destroys the c-current timeline and creates another at an earlier point in time. Because of that, a reset d-doesn't actually create a truly independent timeline.”

“What r-really causes two or more timelines to exist at the s-same time is a particularly s-significant event,” Alphys continued. She typed a prompt, and the monitor began to display an animation. Frisk recognized it immediately. The animation was of a child falling down a hole and landing on a bed of golden flowers in a cave.

“These e-events are impossible to predict, but the timelines they create are d-detectable with the use of certain signals. What we do know for sure is that, when you f-fell down the hole on Mount Ebott, you began an event so s-significant, that hundreds – perhaps even thousands of different t-timelines were created.”

“...Did I really do that?” Frisk asked.

Alphys nodded. She typed something else, and the monitor began to display a simulation of dozens of different Frisks, each doing something different from the moment that they woke up on the flower bed at the bottom of the cave.

“It m-must have been because you made a connection with Chara,” Alphys said. “Such an extraordinary event w-would fire off thousands of different p-possibilities, each independent of each other. Thus, we have thousands of different t-timelines starting from that point, all continuing in their own way as we s-speak right now.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Chara spoke up. “Where am I in most of these timelines?”

“Uh...well, you d-don't actually show up in most of thes-”

“Allow me to explain,” a familiar voice said.

Frisk turned around to see a short, fat skeleton dressed in a blue jacket walk into the room. 

“Sans!” Frisk yelled, running up to him to give him a hug.

“Hey, kiddo,” Sans replied, ruffling up Frisk's hair. There was a big grin on his face. Chara looked a little scared, but Sans continued smiling as he stared towards them.

“I haven't seen you for so long!” Frisk said.

“Were you feeling 'bonely' without me?”

Frisk turned up their head to give Sans a disappointed look. “You got that from Toriel!”

“Did I?” Sans chuckled. “Well, can't say I'm surprised. We're both pretty humerus, after all.”

Alphys cringed.

“Welp. I'm on my lunch break, but I wouldn't mind explaining some timeline physics. Or at least the bare bones of it.”

Sans continued staring at Chara as he walked towards the monitor to stand beside Alphys. Chara glared in return until Frisk had come back to stand beside them again.

“Chara, huh?” Sans said.

“...Yes,” Chara replied.

“Nice to see that you aren't so bad,” Sans winked. “I've gotta say, I feel pretty lucky to exist in this timeline. It's a heck of a lot better than what some of the other Sans have had to deal with.”

Chara remained silent.

“S-sans,” Alphys said. “I was just explaining to them about the other timelines, s-specifically the, uh...”

“Oh, right.”

Sans turned to face the monitor.

“As far as we know, most of the timelines don't end with monsters returning to the surface,” Sans said, his voice suddenly growing serious. “There are only a few timelines where Frisk succeeds in breaking down the barrier. Here's one of them.”

Sans pressed a button, and the monitor began to display a simulation of Frisk walking alongside Toriel down Mount Ebott after emerging from the cave within Mount Ebott. However, there was no Chara or Asriel anywhere.

“In this timeline, Frisk is alone with Toriel,” Sans continued. “They're also the ambassador between humans and monsters, and they've earned themselves the title of 'True Pacifist' for their efforts in maintaining peace. Therefore, we've decided to name this the 'True Pacifist' timeline.”

“What's our timeline called?” Chara asked.

“Well, you don't show up at all in most of these timelines, either,” Sans replied. “So, if I were to pick a name, I'd say this is...the 'Chara has their own body' timeline?”

Cringes all around the room.

“In any case, it's i-interesting how all of these timelines s-seem to differ for arbitrary r-reasons,” Alphys said. “But, m-most of them end in the same way, with the barrier remaining, and monsters still being stuck the u-underground. Other than our timeline and the 'True Pacifist' one, there is only one m-more notable timeline...”

Sans' expression grew somewhat somber. He pressed another button, and the monitor began to display yet another simulation.

As they watched it, Frisk began to feel goosebumps.

It was exactly what Chara had recounted earlier. They were walking alone through the underground, and there was dust everywhere. However, the simulation showed more clearly what had actually happened. The Frisk in this timeline had a bloodthirsty look on their face. Every time they met a monster, they would put on a sadistic grin. Then, they would take out whatever weapon they had and beat the monster to death with it.

Countless monsters fell this way, monsters that Frisk had – in this timeline – always tried to befriend. Froggit. Toriel. The Snowdin dogs. Papyrus (Sans had to turn away at this one). Undyne. Muffet. Mettaton. Even Sans himself. Finally, Frisk slew Asgore and a very frightened looking Flowey.

All of a sudden, the simulation went dark. 

“...Curiously, this timeline just ends here,” Sans said after taking a deep breath.

Frisk felt themselves beginning to shake again. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. How was it possible for another version of themselves to do something like this? How could this other Frisk be so cruel and violent?

They felt Chara holding their hand again.

“It's okay, Frisk,” Chara whispered. “It's okay. This isn't you. It's a completely different person. Someone more like...who I used to be.”

“Chara...”

“Hey, kid. We're thankful that you aren't like the Frisk from that timeline,” Sans said, putting on an uplifting smile. “If you were, none of us would be here right now.”

“W-we've named that timeline the 'Genocide' timeline,” Alphys added. “Hopefully, none of what happened there is g-going to affect us.”

“Wait, what?” Chara said suddenly. “What do you mean by that? How could another timeline affect ours?”

Alphys and Sans exchanged very uneasy glances towards each other. Frisk felt themselves become worried again.

“W-well, we've been hypothesizing about why the 'Genocide' t-timeline just suddenly ends,” Alphys said.

“There are only three ways that a timeline could completely go dark,” Sans began. “The first and most obvious way is that a reset was performed. However, if there was a reset, we wouldn't have been able to detect all the events leading up to the reset in the first place, so that's out of the question. The second possibility is that the entire universe of that timeline is destroyed.”

“Th-that's probably not it, either,” Alphys said. “Nothing can really wipe out the entire universe instantly.”

“So that just leaves the third way,” Sans said. Once again, his expression turned grim. “We've only been able to study these timelines through a very precise signal emitted by a specific person in each of these timelines. This person is the being who contains the most determination in that timeline, as they carry the sole ability to reset. Were this person to disappear without resetting, we would lose that signal, and the entire timeline – to us – would appear to go completely dark.”

“It's w-why we're only a-able to view each timeline from Frisk's p-perspective,” Alphys said.

“So they just disappeared?” Frisk asked.

“...Either that, or they really did destroy the entire universe,” Sans answered. “However, something has been happening recently that has led us to believe that they did indeed just disappear.”

Sans clicked a button, and a directory appeared on the monitor screen. It contained a list of files, each named “TimelineXXXX”, where the X's was any number between 0 and 9.

“When we s-started these simulations, we were able to f-find exactly 6581 timelines,” Alphys said. “S-since then, the number of t-timelines has been steadily decreasing.”

“We only have 4493 timelines left,” Sans said. “Either 2088 timelines have had their universes destroyed, or all the signals – the Frisks – from those timelines have disappeared.”

“What could that mean?” Frisk asked.

“It m-means, w-well, uh...”

“We don't know,” Sans said. “But, it's worrying, to say the least.”

“Th-that's why we a-asked for you two to c-come live with us,” Alphys said. “In case anything h-happens. You're the person with the m-most determination in this timeline too, Frisk. So, you know, we j-just want to, uh, keep watch over you...”

All of this was completely overwhelming.

Frisk closed their eyes and leaned back against the wall. They felt profoundly disturbed by how closely the descriptions Chara had given of their ramblings last night matched what the simulation of the 'Genocide' timeline had showed. It was inconceivable. Could their dreams somehow reach across the different timelines? What could have caused one Frisk to behave in a certain way, and another Frisk to behave in a completely different way?

They felt Chara holding their arm. When they opened their eyes, they found Chara staring concernedly at them.

“I'm okay,” Frisk said, even though they really weren't.

“Hey, don't worry about all this, kid,” Sans said. “Maybe the timelines disappearing is just because our technology is malfunctioning. Maybe there's nothing for us to worry about at all.”

“S-still, that d-dream Frisk had last night,” Alphys said.

“Dream?” Sans asked.

“Stop,” Chara said suddenly. “Frisk doesn't need to hear it over and over again. Let them take a break right now.”

“Thanks, Chara, but it's fine,” Frisk said. Chara wouldn't let go of their arm.

“I'm s-sorry if all this was too m-much for you to take in,” Alphys said, lowering her eyes.

“No, it's all right. I'm just a little bit...confused,” Frisk said, shaking their head. “I don't understand why some of these other Frisks are so...different.”

“Me neither,” Sans said, shrugging. “But, yeah, that Genocide Frisk gives me the chills.”

“Wait!” Alphys spoke up. “We know th-that timelines split off when an event occurs that c-can result in multiple drastically d-different outcomes, r-right?”

She raised her head and turned at Frisk. “What if the event that actually caused this s-split had happened earlier? What if it was s-something in the past that had changed Frisk, making it so th-that not one Frisk, but – rather – multiple different types of Frisks ended up falling into Mount Ebott?”

Sans looked curious. “That's a possibility,” he said. “You got anything, Frisk?”

Frisk turned away. Their head was spinning.

“Let's go,” Chara urged.

“I'm s-sorry!” Alphys said. “S-sorry, Frisk. I d-didn't mean to make you feel so uncomfortable.”

Once again, Frisk shook their head. They smiled at Chara and whispered a 'thank-you' to them, but then turned to face Sans and Alphys again.

“...Nothing happened in the past,” they said at last.

“You don't know?” Sans asked.

Frisk nodded. “I don't believe anything from my past could've caused such a drastic change in my character.”

Alphys sighed. “All right. Th-thank you, I guess.”

“Come on,” Chara said, pulling on Frisk's hand. They put on a big smile. “Let's go get lunch already.”


	19. Datefriends

“You know what will get your mind off everything?”

“What?” Frisk asked.

Chara blushed. “How about we go on a date today?”

The suggestion made Frisk smile cheerfully. They did agree to be datefriends after all, but since moving in with Alphys, they hadn't even gone on a single date yet. Every day had been Frisk heading to the university, where they spent their time studying in the library or attending some of Alphys' lectures. They also had tutors, who were a couple of studious humans that followed Toriel's curriculum of asking Frisk to write weekly reports on the news or the books that they had read. 

Chara, meanwhile, had daily piano lessons with Undyne in the morning. According to Undyne, human fingers were much more flexible than hers, and Chara's playing improved very quickly. They were almost good enough to start learning classical pieces, though Chara had more interest in composing (and downloading sheet music off the internet from games and films and playing them). In the afternoon, they would meet up with Frisk at the university to receive tutoring, but they were still never interested in any of it.

“Sure!” Frisk responded. 

Chara looked excited, though they were still blushing.

“But isn't it a bit late today?” Frisk asked. “It's almost time for dinner. Where do you want to go?”

“We don't have to go out,” Chara said. “Maybe we can just order dinner, and then watch a movie together?”

“Okay.”

Frisk opened up their laptop. Around the city, there were so many different restaurants that they didn't even know what they wanted to eat. Only Japanese food was out of the question, as Alphys had made that for them every day. It wasn't bad – in fact, her cooking was quite tasty – but eating anything for long enough was enough to make them sick of it. 

“Do you want pizza?” Chara asked.

“Not really,” Frisk replied. “I've had that for lunch often enough on campus.”

“Subway? MOS Burger? Wend-”

Frisk frowned, unimpressed. “Let's not limit ourselves to fast food.”

“But everything else is so expensive!”

Alphys, of course, did not let them spend however much money that they wanted. They were each given a weekly allowance of 1300 VCs (virtual coins), which Chara usually blew on chocolate, costumes, and games. As a result, they had almost no money left, and they would probably feel bad about buying an expensive dinner and having to let Frisk pay most of it.

“It's okay,” Frisk said. “I don't mind spending a bit more money on our date.”

Chara turned away, facing their own laptop with a shade of embarrassment reappearing on their face.

“Still. I'm broke, I don't want you to have to pay my whole dinner for me.”

“Think of it as me treating you!”

“...Fine. But, in that case, I'm not going to order anything expensive.”

Eventually, they just decided to order Chinese food. While they waited for it to arrive, Chara chose a movie for them to watch: “Blooky's House of Jumpscares” (featuring the fearless robo-protagonist, Mettaton Ex, as he navigates through an old and dark mansion crawling with spirits). The reviews for this film, released just last month, were exceedingly high. It was – of course – already available for home viewing on Underflix.

* * *

Mettaton was sprinting down a dark hall, panting (robotically), eyes darting around in fright. He turned a corner. There was a flash of red. Something very tall was standing in front of him. The thing's limbs started to stretch and curl, bending at disturbing angles, before the camera zoomed in on its fac-

“AHHHHH!” Frisk screamed, grabbing onto Chara.

“It's just another eldritch abomination, Frisk,” Chara said, patting Frisk on the head. Frisk was quivering and shaking. Chara sighed.

“Turn it off,” Frisk pleaded.

“Come on. Look at how lazy the editing is,” Chara continued, pointing at the screen. “Do you really find it that scary?”

“...I don't want to see it.”

Chara sighed. “Okay, fine.”

They turned off the movie and faced Frisk. The room was dark, and it was almost ten PM. Still two more hours before Chara usually went to sleep. Frisk calmed themselves down enough for them to sit up straight again. They were sitting together on Chara's bed in their room, and Chara stood up.

“What do you want to do now?” Chara asked.

“Well...how do dates usually end, anyways?”

For a moment, Chara looked speechless. Then, a strange smile came over their face, and they started giggling. Frisk stared at Chara weirdly as they turned away and laughed to themselves.

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara said. “Do you...do you want to play dress up again?”

Frisk stared back. “...Why?”

“That was really fun,” Chara answered, giggling again.

“I guess, if you like it.”

“I just want to put you in that sailor suit again!” Chara said. They were already on their way to their closet, reaching in and throwing out piles of clothing in search for it. A second later, they said “ah-hah!” and pulled out the big white sailor suit, along with the large pink ribbon. They walked back to their bed.

Reluctantly, Frisk put on the costume and adorned their head with the ribbon again. When they were done, they turned to face Chara and was startled.

Chara was staring at them, unblinking. Frisk returned the gaze until they found it too awkward to continue, and turned their eyes away.

“Ummm...Chara?”

“...Frisk,” Chara said, still staring at them. “You're too cute.” 

“...Chara...”

Frisk sat down on the bed and frowned. Chara bent their head down, leaning towards them, and put on a grin.

“Do you want me to dress me up, Frisk?” Chara asked.

“...Not particularly,” Frisk replied. They laughed half-heartedly as they scratched their head. Chara's unwavering gaze made them feel like they were receiving just a bit too much attention.

“Why not?”

“Well, I...I don't really care how you look,” Frisk said. Internally, they cringed as they realized how awkward that sounded. “I mean! You look fine just the way you are, Chara! I like you for who you are, not how you dress.”

“Is that so...?” Chara said. 

They sat down beside Frisk on the bed. Then, turning towards Frisk, they tried to smile, but ended up blushing instead. It was a very deep blush this time, and Chara darted their eyes away as Frisk looked at them. 

“Is something wrong?”

“N-no...” Chara replied. Their eyes lowered, and they clasped their hands together into a ball on their lap. For a while, they didn't say anything.

“Chara?”

“Frisk,” Chara began, looking back up at them again. Their face was noticeably red, even in the darkness of the room. “Do y-you want t-to...do you w-want...”

“What is it?”

Chara took a deep breath and closed their eyes. “Do you want to try...umm, ah, how should I say this? Oh, whatever! Frisk, do you want to try making out with me?”

Frisk was a bit too stunned at that suggestion to reply. Then, realizing that they were making Chara feel extremely embarrassed by saying silent, they decided to respond.

“Umm, o-okay!” Frisk said. They placed a reassuring hand on Chara's shoulder.

“R-really?! You will?”

“Y-yeah, why not? We both like each other, right? And, I mean, it's n-not like anyone really cares if we do this...?”

Chara's face was so red that Frisk wondered if they were going to explode at any second. 

“Okay!” Chara said finally. “Th-thank you, Frisk. I m-mean, I wasn't actually expecting you to say 'yes', so...”

“Hey, this is a d-date, right?”

Chara nodded, wiping at their red eyes. “All r-right. Don't w-worry, Frisk. I've watched how Alp-uh, I've watched how the people from the games that I've played do it! So, just close y-your eyes, and relax, and don't worry about a thing!”

“R-right, yes.”

Frisk closed their eyes and waited.

They felt Chara's lips on their mouth a second later. It was very sudden, and also very awkward. Chara just stayed there, unmoving. Frisk opened their eyes to find themselves gazing into Chara's. They looked very, very frightened.

To help Chara, they began to move their lips. They followed their intuition, not knowing what else to do. It was Chara this time who appeared unable to react. To avoid being discouraging, Frisk didn't pull away, but continued kissing until they felt a response.

Chara's lips were soft and warm. Gradually, they started to kiss back. They began a bit too forcefully, which surprised Frisk, but Frisk refrained from pulling away. It would be embarrassing if they made Chara feel that they were an inadequate kisser. Now that they had started, they realized that it felt surprisingly good. Chara began to calm down and kiss gently, more naturally.

Frisk slowly wrapped their arms around Chara's back. They held Chara with their hands, and Chara did the same while they kissed. It was all going well until Frisk suddenly felt something very wet inside their own mouth.

“Whoops!” Frisk said, pulling away instinctively.

“Ummm! Uh, Frisk, was that...too fast for you?” 

“Was that your tongue?” Frisk asked in response.

Chara's blush became so deep that Frisk wondered if they were going to become a tomato.

“I'm....I'm sorry,” Chara said at last, their voice barely a whisper. “I didn't m-mean to-”

“No, it's fine,” Frisk said, trying to smile. “It just surprised me, that's all.”

“Do y-you, do you w-want to try again?”

“Y-yeah.”

This time, Frisk went first. They placed their lips against Chara's and began the same kissing motions that they had done before. Chara did the same, and it started to feel good again. Soft, warm, wet lips. Frisk took a deep breath. They loved Chara's smell – the smell of buttercup flowers that they had in their hair. It seemed to make the world melt away.

Frisk felt a gentle pressure against their lips. Chara wasn't too forceful this time, but they seemed to be suggesting something. Gripping Chara tightly, Frisk began to lie themselves down onto the bed. Chara appeared to like this. They pulled away for a moment, leaning over Frisk, and then resumed kissing – this time lying over them.

They hugged each other tightly. Frisk liked the feeling of such closeness, the sensation of another person's warmth so close to theirs. It made them feel secure. With wetness, Chara's lips became tender. Unlike before, their kissing was fluid now. Gentle and affectionate.

Chara let go of the kiss, but they looked like they were enjoying it too much to stop. They started to kiss quickly and lightly upon their lips, and then around them. Frisk winced as Chara left a trail of kisses up to their cheek. They didn't want to stop, either. They took in a deep breath, smelling the pleasant scent of Chara's hair again, and kissed Chara back on the cheek. Smiling, Chara kissed them twice back, and then moved down to kiss them on the lips again.

“Please don't stop,” Chara whispered into Frisk's ear.

“I love you too.”

“...You're so cute.”

The next kiss lasted the longest, to the point where it started to feel draining. After a while, Frisk and Chara stopped and simply lay there, with their lips upon each others'. Chara opened their eyes. At the moment, their eyes looked so beautiful. They held their kiss like this, for a moment that felt too precious to let go. Frisk breathed in and out slowly, staring into Chara's eyes, hoping that this feeling of affection – of intimacy – between them would last forever.

Finally, Chara pulled away and sat up.

“...I can't believe we actually did this,” they said.

“You're not a bad kisser, Chara.”

“I would've been if you didn't...help me back there.”

Frisk closed their eyes and smiled. “Still. You got into it quickly enough.”

Chara moved off Frisk and laid themselves back down onto the bed, head beside Frisk's.

“Frisk.”

“Yeah?”

“...Thank you.”

Frisk didn't understand what for, but they said “You're welcome” in response.

“Frisk?”

“Yeah?”

“I don't ever want to leave you.”

“...I don't, either.”

Chara placed their head onto Frisk's shoulder and hugged them again.

“..I think I'll go to sleep early tonight,” they said. “As long as I get to sleep like this with you.”

“Okay. Me too.”

Chara's eyes closed. They sighed, but a smile spread across their face.

“Good night, Frisk.”

“Good night, Chara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	20. Tunnels

Lunch time was over, and normally, Frisk would be heading to campus with Chara to receive their daily tutoring. Today, however, their tutors were taking a day off, and Alphys had no lectures to deliver at the university. As a result, they were free to do whatever they wanted when lunch was over.

All that talk about timelines disappearing and the genocidal Frisk was still making Frisk feel worried. They wanted to ask Sans and Alphys about it more, but both of them were busy working in their laboratories. It was the first time, actually, that Frisk had ever seen Sans working so hard on something. He seemed concerned for once. And, if something was bad enough to require Sans' attention, it certainly didn't spell out good news for everyone else.

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara said as they got into the building elevator, “Do you want to see what's on the basement floor?”

There was that curious, yet innocent look on Chara's face that Frisk had started to associate with impending trouble.

“Both Alphys and Undyne told us to stay out of there.”

“...And what happened the last time Alphys wanted to hide some place from everyone?” Chara said, their smile turning sly. “I think we could find something juicy if we take a look.”

“Is 'juicy' really the right word for it?”

Chara shrugged. “It could be. Only one way to find out.”

They pressed the basement floor button on the elevator menu.

“Hey!”

“What?” Chara said, turning towards Frisk. “I'm just interested. Any place that people tell you to keep out of is a place that warrants a peek, don't you think?”

“...Fine.”

Despite Frisk's tendency to be on their best behaviour at all times, there was nevertheless that desire in them to explore the unknown. It was the same desire that took them up Mt. Ebott, the desire that made them leave the safety of the ruins, and the desire that took them into Alphys' True Lab.

When the elevator reached the basement floor, the doors opened up into a dimly lit room. It was full of crates and shelves containing more boxes, leaving barely enough space for them to move. An oddly earthly smell of dirt was in this room, and when they walked on the floor, the sound that came from beneath their feet was hollow. In a corner, there was a high stack of crates, surrounded by an area of the floor that was covered in dirt.

“This just looks like a storage room,” Frisk said.

“Yeah, it does,” Chara replied. “We should just turn back, right? Nothing suspicious in here, nope!”

The smile on Chara's face made it obvious that they were still interested.

“Why do you want to sneak around so much?” Frisk asked.

“...Hey. Haven't you been wondering about what Alphys and Sans have really been doing?” Chara began, their tone growing more serious. “This whole laboratory feels kind of secretive. Other than your friends, none of the monsters working here ever talk to us. Also, they always make us leave for campus right after noon. What do you think they do in here while we're gone?” 

Chara walked towards the tall pile of crates surrounded by dirt. When they kicked some of the dirt aside, they suddenly started to stare at the floor.

“I think there's something here,” they said.

Frisk walked to stand beside Chara. The crates were placed on top of a square segment of floor that had iron hinges at one of its edges. Chara cleared a bit more dirt with their shoes, and then pushed aside the crates. The crates revealed that they had been covering a trap door. Frisk's eyes grew wide.

“I knew it!” Chara said, bending down to touch the floor. “There was something hidden in here. I wonder what's below this?”

“You think it's a good idea to check it out?” Frisk asked.

Chara's smile twisted into a more serious, more determined expression. “Come on, it can't hurt. I thought you were the one that liked exploring new things, Frisk!”

“I can't believe you want to explore this place, though.”

Chara slid their fingers down the tiny space around the trap door and hoisted it up, revealing a big hole below. There was a ladder leading directly down. Peeking through it, Frisk was surprised to discover that there was a fair bit of light in the room below.

“I don't buy what Sans and Alphys are telling us,” Chara said, to Frisk's surprise. “I mean, maybe what they're saying is true – maybe the timelines really are disappearing, and they're worried that we might disappear, too. But, don't you think that they'd still be a bit more upfront about it? If you ask me, they're still concealing something from us. Every day, it feels like...we're being monitored, like we're part of some experiment.” 

It had never occurred to Frisk before to feel this way about their current situation. They were surprised, too, that Chara would be so perceptive, and so willing to step outside the bounds placed around them to attempt to discover a deeper truth. But, then again, it had been Chara back then who told them to check out Alphys' True Lab, and it had also been Chara who first climbed Mt. Ebott, and it was still Chara who had been daring enough to throw their own life away in an attempt to free all the monsters from the underground.

Chara wasn't lacking in determination at all.

“It's bright,” Frisk said. “You want to go down?”

For a few seconds, Chara simply stared down into the hole.

“Now I'm really curious about what's down there,” Chara said.

“Do you want to go first?”

Chara turned to face Frisk, smiling. “So, you're coming with me?”

“I'll go wherever you want to go.”

“...Thanks, Frisk. You're too sweet.”

Chara patted Frisk on that head, earning them a little nudge on the shoulder in response. They giggled a bit. Then, they spent another moment looking down the hole, before beginning to descend the ladder.

When Chara reached the bottom, Frisk could hardly see them. They decided to go as well.

To their bewilderment, the room at the bottom wasn't so much a room as it was actually an enormous cave, with long passages stretching out to both their left and their right. Looking down these passages, they saw further lights in the form of electric lamps that had been hung upon the wall. However, neither direction had any end in sight. The smell in the air was like that of the cave at Mount Ebott, though the air here was noticeably dustier. All their steps created loud echoes that continued for a long time.

It was also cold.

“...Okay. I admit – I wasn't expecting anything like this,” Chara said. Their voice rang for a while, bouncing down the halls.

“What is this place?”

“I don't know. Looks like a bunch of tunnels.” Chara made an inquisitive face, turning their eyes upward. “But, there's lights, so people have probably been going down here.”

Frisk walked to stand close beside Chara. If something bad happened down here (like the lights going out) the last thing that they wanted was to become separated. 

“Why do you think they'd build tunnels?” Chara asked.

“Maybe they were trying to dig for something,” Frisk guessed.

“Underneath the laboratory, though?”

Frisk shook their head. “Your guess is as good as mine. Do you want to keep exploring, or should we head back up?”

Chara took a step forward. Frisk grabbed their arm, but recoiled when Chara turned and gave them a little grin. Chara raised their hand to their mouth to stifle a giggle. 

“Are you scared, Frisk?”

“I'm not!”

“Then why did you just grab my arm like that?”

Frisk didn't want to explain why. It had happened by instinct.

“Here. You can take my hand,” Chara said, extending their own hand out to Frisk. “I'd...ummm, rather have you walking by my side, too, to be honest.”

Nodding, Frisk took Chara's hand and smiled. “Okay.”

“Which way do we want to go?”

Frisk glanced down both ends of the hall. “Any way works.”

“Okay. Let's go right.”

A familiar sensation of venturing into the unknown dawned upon Frisk as they began walking. Unlike when they went on their journeys before, they weren't alone this time. They had Chara with them. This made them feel safer, though it didn't do much to lessen the anxious feeling of unease that they had acquired. The deeper that they went into the tunnel, the more foreboding the whole place began to feel. It was definitely like the True Lab all over again, with one major difference.

This place was much quieter.

Back in the True Lab, they had heard noises everywhere they went. Noises like shuffling, or whispering, or crawling, or low moaning. Here, the entire cave was silent. Their footsteps made the loudest noises as they walked. Only the lamps hanging upon the wall gave them any indication that people had explored this tunnel before. They didn't know whether they preferred this, or the True Lab.

Eventually, they arrived at a fork in the road. The tunnels split off into two different directions, and there were lamps hanging on the walls in both of them.

“Which way now?” Frisk asked.

“Both paths look identical,” Chara replied, squinting their eyes. They spent a moment looking down both of them. “I think there's more light coming down the left tunnel.”

“Let's remember where we came from,” Frisk whispered nervously. They stepped down the left passage, then turned around to look back behind them.

“Right,” Chara said. “So, on our way back at this intersection, we turn right.”

“How deep do you think these tunnels go?”

“I don't know. Maybe they loop around in a circle.”

“Why would there be so many branching paths, then?”

Chara shook their head. “Don't ask me. I'm as clueless about this place as you are.”

Frisk had a feeling that, if Alphys were to find out that they had gone down here, they would end up getting into big trouble. They felt certain now that there was something in these tunnels that they probably weren't meant to see. Why else would Alphys take such measures as to hide the trapdoor entrance into the cave?

As they went down the left tunnel, the passage slowly became tighter, and the ceiling grew lower. The lamps also became more spaced out from each other, and it wasn't long before there started to be segments of the hall which were nearly completely dark. For these segments, Frisk and Chara walked closely together, holding each other's hands. Even Chara started to grow nervous, their expression becoming more and more anxious the deeper down the tunnel that they went.

Eventually, they arrived at another intersection. This time, it was a four-way junction. Chara groaned and let go of Frisk's hand to lean against the wall.

“We're in a maze,” Chara said in a frustrated voice. “There can't possibly be this many split paths in a cave.”

“These tunnels do seem manmade,” Frisk replied. 

They glanced quickly down each path. Once again, the paths stretched too far for them to be able to see if any of them came to an end. There were still lamps in each hall, but now they were in few enough quantity that the halls were, for the most part, dark.

“Should we turn back?” Frisk asked.

“I'm starting to consider it,” Chara said.

Something caught the edge of Frisk's eye. They looked down the right path and noticed that, in the distance, there were stairs. The stairs seemed to be going down.

“There's stairs over there,” Frisk said.

Chara seemed interested. “You want to check that out?”

“I'm sort of curious.”

“Yeah. If we don't find anything, or if we get to another intersection, then we should turn back.”

“Okay.”

Frisk took a step down the right path. “So, on our way back, we turn left here.”

“Left, and then right,” Chara said.

This path was even darker than before, and also very narrow. When they reached the stairs, they were dismayed to discover that it went very far down – too far for them to even be able to see the bottom. As usual, lamps hung upon the walls. Still, it was frightening. Frisk felt the urge to turn back. 

“That looks...deep,” Frisk muttered. 

Chara tried to put on a brave face, but their shaking hand – which Frisk was still holding – revealed their obvious fear. Still, Chara nodded.

“Come on. We've been through worse before,” Chara said. “This is just a tunnel, right? It's not like there's monsters here actively trying to kill us.”

“I just feel like...we're going to get into trouble,” Frisk said.

Chara sighed, lowering their head and closing their eyes. “All right, fine. We can turn back, if you want.”

“I didn't say that we should turn back.”

“You sure look like you want to.”

Frisk steeled their expression, putting on a confident smile. It was obviously fake, but they didn't want to appear weak.

“Let's just see what's at the bottom,” they said.

Chara nodded. “All right.”

Slowly, they began descending the stairs. The ceiling sloped down along with the floor, giving the impression that the path had obviously been constructed by someone. The passage was narrow enough that the light from the lamps on the walls actually made the descending hall very bright. However, the place was still completely silent. Frisk could hear their own heartbeat, and their breathing, along with Chara's.

The stairs seemed to go on forever.

“Seeing how far we're going, we might end up back in the underground,” Chara said, laughing a little.

“...I wouldn't be surprised if that's what we actually see.”

Frisk looked behind them. They could no longer see the top of the stairs. 

“Ummm, Frisk?” Chara said, turning to look at them. “You know, I've been wondering. How did it...feel when you first went down into the underground?”

“Kind of like how I feel right now, I guess,” Frisk answered. “To be honest, I got really scared at first when I saw Flowey talking to me.”

Chara laughed quietly. “I'd also be scared by that.”

“And he tried to kill me, too!” Frisk rolled their eyes. “But then, Toriel came. I was afraid of her at first, because she was so big, but...she was also really nice, and I guess she earned my trust very quickly.”

“But you still left the ruins.”

Frisk nodded. “Right. By that time, I was starting to think that monsters weren't so bad. A few of them attacked me, but I was always able to make them leave peacefully. I even cheered up a sad ghost!” The memory of their encounter with Napstablook made them smile. “So, I wanted to find out more about this world. I wanted to learn more about the monsters. That's why I decided to leave.”

Chara scratched their head. “And...you had me with you, too.”

Frisk turned their eyes away. “Yeah. I guess I started to hear your thoughts in my head around that time.”

For a moment, Chara looked like they were very embarrassed. Then, they became silent.

“Chara?”

“I'm...I'm sorry about that.”

Frisk put their hand on Chara's shoulder. “It's okay. I've never been mad at you.”

“I know.”

Another pause.

“...Frisk.”

“Yeah?”

“When I first went into the underground, I...I wanted to die,” Chara said in a quiet voice. “But, when I fell on the floor and I realized that I was still alive, I just couldn't take it anymore.”

“I started screaming. It was so painful. My body was bleeding, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just wanted it to end. I wanted to die without having to feel so much pain. I hated the world for leaving me alive, for...making me suffer to the very end.”

Chara stopped walking to lean against the wall. They closed their eyes and sighed.

“I thought I was so hateable, that even the universe despised me.”

“Chara-”

“But then, Asriel came. He came and asked for my name. Then, he lifted me up, and brought me over to...mother, who healed my wounds. I really didn't expect that. I didn't know how to react, either.”

Frisk stayed silent, listening.

“I guess...I guess I was scared, too.” Chara laughed half-heartedly. “It's really strange, when I think about it. That was so long ago. So much's happened since then.”

They turned to face Frisk, and smiled. “Here I am, now. I'm only a few years older than I was back then, but...things are completely different. I don't want to die anymore. I want to keep living life, and it's only b-because – i-it's only because I have you.”

“...Chara,” Frisk whispered, leaning towards them. “You're a good person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And, if you ever need comfort, I'll be here for you.”

“I know, Frisk. I didn't mean to get so emotional.”

“It's fine, Chara. You've been through a lot.”

Chara shook their head. “Frisk. I really do love you.”

That made Frisk smile. “I love you too, Chara.”

Chara's eyes turned away. “Okay. Whatever. Let's just find out what's at the bottom of this place so that we can get out of this dump.”

Frisk giggled. “All right.”

As they descended further, Frisk became aware of a low rumbling sound in the background. It was very distant, but it seemed to be getting louder. They felt like this was the first sound that they had heard from this place (other than themselves) in ages. However, they refrained from mentioning it, wondering if it was just a trick of their own imagination. 

“Is that...the subway?” Chara asked suddenly.

Frisk stopped. “What?”

“That sounds like the city subway,” Chara continued. “You hear that, right?”

“You mean, the rumbling noise?”

“Yeah. Remember how the subway sounds when it's coming towards your station? It's...kind of like that.”

Now that Chara had mentioned it, Frisk realized that it did sound very much like an incoming subway train.

Sometimes, when they wanted to explore the city, or when the chauffeur wasn't available to take them to campus, they would take the city subway. Chara often came along with Frisk, and Frisk was surprised that Chara recognized it faster than they did.

For no particular reason, Frisk tapped the ceiling of the hall with their fingers. The sound seemed to be coming from above them.

“We've gone below the subway,” Frisk whispered. 

“That means these tunnels go below the entire city.”

Frisk gulped. “Maybe we should just head back.”

Chara glanced behind them, and then turned back to face Frisk.

“We've been going down these stairs forever,” Chara said. “Let's just go see the bottom, okay?”

The rumbling sound started to fade. Then, it became silent again.

“All right, let's just hurry.”

They continued descending the stairs, quicker than before, until finally an end came in sight. Frisk realized that they must have been walking down for at least five minutes. The stairs ended at flat but rough stone floor, and the passage grew wider. Just one lamp down here provided light to illuminate the hall up ahead. Looking forward, Frisk grew disheartened when they saw yet another fork in the road.

“Okay. I've had it. Let's go back.”

Chara seemed much more willing to comply this time. “You're right. This is just bizarre.”

“What if Alphys discovered that we went down here?”

“We'll just explain that we were curious. Also, we'd need an explanation from her for all this.”

“...Yeah, I suppose.”

They started going back up the stairs. The rumbling sound came again, and then faded within a minute. It was definitely the subway.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs again, Frisk started to feel an odd sensation that...they weren't alone. They didn't know how they realized this, but it was like something was constantly moving around them. Like shadows at the edge of their vision that disappeared every time they went to look in their direction. However, when they tried to rationalize it, they realized that it didn't make any sense. There were no shadows but the ones cast by the light that came from the lamps. These shadows weren't moving, and the only ones that did were their own.

It was probably the darkness of the cave getting to them.

At the top of the stairs, they walked back to the intersection.

“So, here, we go right,” Chara said. “And then-”

“Right? You mean left,” Frisk interrupted.

Chara turned around, their expression apprehensive. “I thought it was right, then left.”

“No, it was left, then right.”

“...Are you sure, Frisk?”

“I'm absolutely certain.”

Chara stared down the path to their left. “Okay. I think you're right. This way looks more familiar to me.”

Frisk raised their feet and was about to take a step forward when suddenly they froze, stopping dead in their tracks.

They heard footsteps in the distance.

Chara turned to face Frisk, fear written all over their face. “What do we do?!”

“Shhh!” Frisk replied, pulling Chara on their arm. “Let's hide and see who it is.”

They listened until they ascertained that the footsteps were coming from the passage directly in front of them. As quietly as possible, Frisk and Chara walked into the tunnel to their left. Then, they pressed themselves up against the wall, with Frisk closer to the edge of the tunnel. Frisk leaned their head slowly to their left to take a peek out.

Someone was heading towards them. Their shadow was appearing on the walls.

“Who is it?” Chara whispered.

Frisk didn't reply. The person was coming closer. Any moment now, and they would arrive into view.

“Frisk?”

“Shhh.”

Frisk leaned out just a bit further to get a better view. 

When they saw who it was, they felt the blood draining from their face.

Appearing through the darkness was a figure who was only as big as a child. The figure had long and unkempt dark brown hair, and they wore a blue sweater with purple stripes as well as dark blue pants. Their arm was raised, and clasped within their hand was a long and sharp dagger. The tip of the dagger gleamed in the light of the surrounding lamps. There was a strange smile on their face. A smile that seemed almost deranged.

“...Frisk?”

Frisk didn't know what to do. They simply stared at this figure, frozen, as they approached ever closer. The smile on the child's face was getting wider, too. Something gleamed in their eyes.

“Frisk!”

“Chara, it's...it's me,” Frisk replied finally, turning their head away.

Chara looked at them as if they had gone crazy. “What?!”

“It's me!” Frisk repeated again, their voice terrified. “Chara, let's just get out of here. I don't – I don't think I want to talk to...myself.”

“What did you see?”

Chara was about to peek out behind the wall as well, but Frisk stopped them.

“No,” Frisk said. “Don't let them see you. Let's just run.”

“Frisk. How can you be seeing yourself?”

“Just trust me!”

“...Are you serious?” 

Frisk peeked out at the figure again. There they were again. A splitting image of themselves, wearing the exact same clothing that they had worn when they were journeying through the underground. The only difference was the expression on their face. The child's mouth was twisted in a smile that was absolutely...atrocious. That was the only word Frisk could think of to describe it – the smile, and their eyes, which had a depraved glare in them. Just seeing that face made Frisk shiver (as if they weren't feeling enough goosebumps from meeting their clone already). 

But, there was something else, too.

It had been difficult for Frisk to pinpoint what...exactly about this figure made them so horrifying. The smile was bad, as was the dagger, and the general feeling about them, but none of that compared to what had caught Frisk's eye. After the initial shock of seeing this clone, they had lost track of what was behind the child's body. It was something that, at first, had bothered Frisk tremendously, and only now that they had gotten a second look – with the child being much closer – that they came to realize what it was.

The child had an impossibly long shadow.

Behind their back, their shadow stretched...endlessly. Not only that, but it grew larger, too. It stretched out along the walls, encompassing them, covering them entirely. There was no light behind the child. All the light that was supposed to be emitted from the lamps had disappeared. The more they stared, the more they believed that they were looking into complete darkness. The shadow behind the child was a pool of black.

“...Run,” Frisk whispered again.

“I just want to get a lo-”

“No,” Frisk urged. 

They were barely able to get enough of a hold on themselves to be able to feel their legs again. Then, Frisk grabbed Chara's arm and started running.

They hoped with all their heart that the child hadn't seen or heard them. 

They ran faster than they ever had before in their life. Not once did they look back. Chara caught on quickly, and began sprinting as well. They still seemed confused, but Frisk had no time to explain. All they needed to know was that Chara was beside them. The last thing that they wanted was to accidentally leave Chara behind with that...thing.

At the next intersection, Frisk followed their intuition and darted to their right.

“Don't stop,” Frisk managed to say to Chara while running. “Just keep running.”

“Why? What did you se-”

“Just keep running!”

It took them several minutes to run back to the entrance of the tunnel, where the ladder was. By then, Frisk was completely out of breath. They keeled over and grasped their knees, panting. Still, there was no time to waste. They had to get back up. 

To Frisk's horror, Chara collapsed to the floor. They quickly took Chara's hand and lifted them back up, but Chara could barely stand.

“You go first,” Frisk said, still panting and pointing towards the ladder.

“I can't climb right now,” Chara replied. They coughed and took in several deep breaths. 

“Just go! I'll support you if you fall!”

“Frisk, what did you see?”

Instead of responding, Frisk grabbed Chara around the waist and hoisted them onto the ladder. They were surprised at their own strength. However, at the moment, they were completely terrified. No matter what, they could not stay down here. They would get them and Chara back up if it was the last thing they would ever do.

“Frisk-”

“CLIMB!”

Chara took their first few steps up. When there was enough space, Frisk put themselves on the ladder as well. Both of them climbed until Chara reached the trapdoor at the top. They pushed on it, but the door remained firmly locked.

“HEY!” Chara yelled. “Open up!”

“Oh my god, it's them!” Came Alphys' voice in reply.

The door opened up, and bright white light streamed through. Chara was lifted out of the ladder by Alphys, and then she helped Frisk out. Immediately, Alphys shut the door and locked it again.

“Frisk! Chara! I'm so glad the two of you are safe!” Alphys said, hugging both of them. 

At that moment, Frisk didn't know what to do or say. They felt Alphys' arms around their body, and then Chara's, but, for some reason, they couldn't move. They were completely paralyzed.

There were others in the room, too. It took a while before they registered that Undyne and Sans were also there, and they were all hugging them as well.

“...Frisk, your face is white,” Alphys said at last. “Tell me. What happened down there? What did you see?”

Frisk opened their mouth. No words came out.

Their head felt dizzy. The world was spinning. They thought they would collapse at any moment.

They heard a sound like crying. They realized, as they fell to the floor, that it was Chara's voice, and they were saying something like 'it was my fault, please don't get mad at Frisk'...

And then they heard a thud, and everything went black.


	21. Hoist the Sails

Frisk opened their eyes. They were in a bright room, lying on a bed. Chara was sitting on a stool beside them, knitting. As soon as Frisk raised their head, Chara put down their knitting needles and stood up, rushing beside Frisk's bed.

“Frisk! How are you feeling?”

“I'm...relieved, I think,” Frisk replied.

Memories of the trip through the tunnel beneath the laboratory came flooding back to Frisk's mind. They remembered the lamps, the long, endless halls, the rumbling sounds, and a certain child who cast a very long shadow...

“Relieved?”

Frisk shook their head. “Yeah.” They put on a weak smile. “I'm glad we got out of there. What happened since then?”

Chara still looked concerned. They placed their hands on Frisk's right arm. “After you blacked out, Alphys brought you to the second floor infirmary. You've been resting here for the whole night.”

“Really? How long was I out for?”

“It's been over half a day, I think.”

Frisk turned their head away, staring up at the ceiling. They had been unconscious for a whole day. Maybe it was because of fright, from seeing a terrifying clone of themselves. Or perhaps it had been because they had sprinted for several minutes. 

Chara leaned towards Frisk and placed a hand on their forehead.

“I'm not sick,” Frisk said, giggling.

“I'm just checking.”

Chara brushed strands of hair out of Frisk's eyes. Frisk turned back to look at them.

“Thanks for being so concerned about me.”

“Frisk...what did you see, exactly?”

They weren't comfortable with answering that question yet.

“Can I tell you later?”

“...Okay.”

Leaning closer, Chara gave Frisk a quick kiss on the cheek. It made Frisk giggle again, and Chara blushed. 

“I'm...sorry, for insisting that we explore that tunnel,” Chara whispered.

Frisk raised a hand and patted Chara on their shoulder. They stared back into Chara's pretty eyes. After being asleep for so long, it felt good and refreshing to see Chara again. 

“It's fine,” Frisk replied.

“No, it isn't.” Chara lowered their head. “I'm not happy with myself.”

“Chara, I'm not mad at you.”

“I'm mad at myself!”

The blush on Chara's face grew deeper. Frisk hated seeing Chara get so flustered (unless it was when Chara was embarrassed about something, in which case they found it cute). They wrapped their hand around Chara's arm, pulling them closer. Frisk raised their head and kissed Chara back on the cheek.

“...Frisk, you don't need to make me feel bett-”

“Who said I was trying to make you feel better?”

Chara raised their eyes curiously.

“I just wanted to kiss you.”

“...Uh, thanks?”

Smiling, Chara gave Frisk a light kiss on the cheek again, and then on the nose. They pulled away from Frisk's arm and went back to their chair to continue knitting.

A moment later, Alphys arrived into the room. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw that Frisk had awoken. 

“Oh! Y-you're awake!” Alphys said, rushing towards their bed. “Frisk. A-are you all right?”

“I'm fine,” Frisk replied.

Alphys nodded and smiled. “You were unconscious f-for so long. I d-didn't know what to do, but I assumed you w-were just tired. Are you feeling w-well, again?”

“Yeah.”

“Then...”

Chara gave Alphys an irritated look. “They don't want to talk about what they saw right now.”

“Actually, I feel better,” Frisk said. “I can tell you about it.”

“N-no, that's not what I meant!” Alphys said. “I m-mean, you're probably w-wondering about what I was trying to keep h-hidden in the basement. Now that y-you've...seen it, there's n-not much point in my keeping it s-secret for any longer.”

“Why did you make it a secret in the first place?” Chara asked.

Alphys looked embarrassed. “I'll...explain.”

Frisk laid their head back down onto the pillow and listened.

“About a m-month ago, there was an earthquake b-beneath the city,” Alphys began. “It h-hit the laboratory pretty hard. We found a big hole in the b-basement, and saw the same t-tunnel that you went through with Chara. So, we p-put together an excavation crew, and they started exploring this tunnel, putting up those l-lamps as a marker.”

“However, the tunnels n-never came to an end. Every d-day, we went and explored a bit f-further, but we'd never find a s-single end to any of them.”

“Did you go down the stairs?” Chara asked. “The one that went really far down.”

“Y-yeah. We did,” Alphys replied. “B-but one day, we had an excavation crew disappear when they went d-deep into the tunnels.”

Frisk felt goosebumps. “Where did they go?”

“They went d-down the stairs,” Alphys said, her tone growing more serious. “We d-didn't hear from them for a full week. Our sensors, which s-searched for the heat of h-human bodies underground, c-couldn't find anything.”

“A week l-later, one of them came back. She was on the v-verge of death. She told us...she told us that they met someone, or something, and then, all their l-lamps and flashlights went dark. She heard the others in her crew s-scream, and she started running. Somehow, she c-came back, but she was badly hurt. We brought h-her to the infirmary, but it was too late. Her w-wounds were untreatable.” Alphys closed her eyes, sniffing. “Just b-before she died, she kept screaming about...about some big 'shadow'.”

Frisk froze.

“We went d-down there, one last t-time, to install cameras on the wall. However, for s-some reason, technology d-doesn't seem to work down there. The cameras don't capture anything. Even stranger, when we ran t-tests analyzing the state of things d-down in the tunnels, we...we discovered that those tunnels shouldn't even b-be there. They're not supposed to exist.”

“That's because they don't belong in our world,” a voice said.

All eyes turned towards the door of the room. Sans strolled into the infirmary, hands in his jacket pockets. There was a grin on his face, but from the sound of his voice, Frisk could tell that he was in a serious mood right now.

“Hey, kid,” Sans said, waving at Frisk. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Frisk managed to say. “I'm fine. Thanks.”

“Well. Those tunnels that you saw? They don't actually exist in our world's physical space. If you go deep enough into them, you'll start crossing into other timelines.”

Alphys nodded. “B-but, I think you'd have to go v-very deep if you wanted to actually enter another world.”

“In any case, someone's been building these tunnels,” Sans continued. “They must intend to use it to cross into other timelines.”

“That's w-why we wanted to keep them a s-secret,” Alphys said. “We knew that s-something was going on beyond the t-timelines disappearing. But, we d-didn't want to worry you.”

“You still could have just told us,” Chara spoke up. “I know we look like children, but we're not that innocent. We'd rather know about what's going on than be in the dark about everything.”

Alphys sighed. “I...I know. I'm sorry. It was my idea to hide this from all of you. I...screwed up again.”

“Alphys. It's okay. We're still alive, right?” Frisk said, trying to put on a comforting smile. Alphys still looked sad.

“Frisk. If you don't mind me asking, what did you see down in those tunnels?” Sans asked.

Frisk paused before replying. They had to say it, sooner or later. And, given the current state of their situation, it wouldn't do any good to keep more secrets.

“I saw...myself,” Frisk said. “A different version of myself, I mean. They were holding a dagger, and they looked crazy. But there was a huge shadow behind them. I don't think they noticed us.”

“A h-huge...shadow?”

A thoughtful expression came over Sans' face. He looked more concerned now than Frisk had ever seen him before.

“Alphys,” Sans said. “We're going to need more guards around the basement.”

“Guards?” Frisk asked.

“After we brought you away, we installed twelve s-security guards in the basement,” Alphys replied. “We c-can't take any chances with this. The g-guards are armed with guns, and they've b-been told to shoot on sight anyone or anything that tries to c-come out of the trap door.”

“If our enemy here is who we think it is, then guns might be the solution,” Sans said, a slight grin reappearing upon his face. “Genocide Frisk must be building these tunnels, somehow, and walking into other timelines. Monsters are no match for them, but a good bullet to the skull? Should take care of the problem.”

“That's j-just an assumption,” Alphys added. “We...don't know what they're truly capable of, and what y-you said about the shadow is...worrying.”

Frisk closed their eyes to rest. They didn't want to even think about having to come face to face with that other version of themselves again.

“They could reset,” Chara added.

“Actually, we d-don't really know if they can, in this timeline,” Alphys responded. “Only the p-person with the greatest amount of d-determination in the world has the ability to reset. But, if Genocide Frisk c-comes into this world, we can't r-rule out the possibility that our Frisk still has more determination.”

“Plus, they'd have to reset a ton if they're up against a barrage of bullets,” Sans said, smiling. He turned around, put his hands into his pockets, and began to walk away.

“...A skele-ton.”

* * *

Frisk spent the first half of the day resting. They felt ready to leave the infirmary by the afternoon, and went to visit Chara and Undyne's piano lesson (which had been postponed from morning).

The piece that Frisk heard being played as they approached their room was called 'Battle Against A True Hero', which had been composed by Undyne herself. Frisk liked it a lot. There was a powerful feeling of hope in it, mixed with an atmosphere of danger and filled with desperation. They thought that Undyne must have composed it with feelings from their battle together in mind, though that made them wonder – who was the 'true hero' in the title? Them, or Undyne?

When Chara first started learning it, they had thought it was too challenging. But, with Undyne's encouragement, they had slowly started to get better, and now they were able to play the first half of the melodic line at the correct tempo. 

“You play like a robot!” Undyne yelled at Chara as Frisk walked into the room. “Where's your passion? Your fury? Your UNBRIDLED WRATH?”

“I don't like the first half,” Chara said, frowning, after waving at Frisk. “Can't I just skip to the next part and learn that instead?”

“NO!” Undyne howled, though she was grinning. “If you neglect the first half, there's no BUILDUP! The whole piece will sound stale! You're going to miss all the madness, the despair, the storm!”

Sighing, Chara went back to practicing the first half of the piece.

Frisk listened, sitting on a stool beside the piano. Chara looked frustrated, but as they played, they started to adapt to the mood of the piece. Their fingers flowed and skipped smoothly across the keys. Even so, it still wasn't without errors. Their tempo kept changing – at the parts that were easier, Chara sped their playing up, but was forced to slow down again when they reached a section that was harder. There were a few wrong notes, but because the piece was so fast, that was tolerable.

“DYNAMICS! DYNAMICS!” Undyne screamed, nearly making Chara flinch. “When you start, you have to play softly, and let it build up! But don't go banging the keys when you get to the quiet part again! You have to UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONS!”

“All right, all right!” Chara responded, groaning. “Let me try again.”

This continued for another half hour, with Frisk mostly staying quiet, though Undyne asked for their input every time Chara finished playing. Eventually, Chara was able to play...satisfactorily, though it was nothing compared to Undyne's interpretation. To conclude the piano lesson, Undyne went and played the piece herself. Her performance was astounding. Listening to it, Frisk could feel their mind drifting back to the underground, back to the valiant battle that they had had together – how they had fought so desperately, how their weapons clashed with the strength of the blows that they had exchanged...

Wait. They didn't exchange any blows at all. They had spent the whole battle trying to run away.

“Well, that's all for today!” Undyne said when her performance was done. “I think Alphys is almost finished cooking. I'll see you upstairs!”

Chara got up from the piano bench and stretched. They looked exhausted.

On the way back up the elevator, Chara tapped Frisk on the back. Frisk turned to face Chara, who had – again – an all too familiar look of mischief upon their face.

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara began, “I...I hope you aren't still mad at me for suggesting we go explore Alphys' basement.”

“I wasn't ever mad at you,” Frisk replied, remembering that they had said that before.

“...Okay. I guess, if you aren't mad, then, I can ask...”

“What?”

Chara clasped their hands behind their back and leaned towards Frisk. “I think, at dinner today, we should...tell Alphys and Undyne that the two of us are dating.”

Frisk thought about it for a second. “I suppose it doesn't hurt to let them know. Still, why bring this up?”

“Oh...you know,” Chara said, suddenly turning their eyes away, “I don't want to...confuse them or anything.”

“Why would they be confused?”

“Well, I think they've seen us sleeping in the same bed, and...”

Chara was blushing again. Frisk had the feeling that Chara was hiding something from them. 

“I don't think they care, do they?”

“I know! But...let's just tell them, okay?”

“Fine.”

At dinner, Frisk sat down beside Chara on their side of the table, while Alphys and Undyne sat on their own side.

“You want to tell them now?” Frisk whispered to Chara.

“No...not yet! Let's just, uh, wait a bit first.”

“Why?”

“Ummm!” Chara was all red again. “Well, maybe we can give...hints, you know? Like, the way they do it?”

“...Seriously?”

Chara was referencing the fact that, during their dinners together, Undyne made no attempt to hide her affection for Alphys. She would give Alphys kisses and sometimes feed her with her own spoon. In response, Alphys would always become flustered, and sometimes she would tell Undyne to stop because they were “in front of the children” (Chara found this statement questionable, as Alphys was the one responsible for sending Chara games and anime that had far more...mature content). 

From the look in Chara's eyes, Frisk had a feeling that this dinner was going to become more awkward than any before.

“So...h-hey, Frisk,” Alphys began as she ate. “Do y-you have any plans for t-tonight?”

“Not particularly,” Frisk replied.

“Oh!” Alphys made an embarrassed smile. “Then, w-we can watch the new season of the anime adaption of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie together again, right?”

Before Frisk could say anything, they felt a spoon being pushed into their mouth. Chara glanced at them, blushing. Frisk took the food and Chara pulled the spoon away.

“Uh, what're you feeding Frisk for?” Undyne asked.

“Oh, no reason!” Chara answered, putting on their most innocent smile. “Just making sure Frisk gets their daily nutrients, that's all.”

“But...Frisk has exactly the same amount of food on their plate as yours.”

Frisk glanced at Chara. The look on Chara's face spelled out 'play along'.” 

“It's okay!” Frisk said to Undyne, grinning. “Chara's just taking care of me, that's all. I try my hardest to take care of them, too!”

Frisk scooped up some rice with their own spoon and placed it into Chara's mouth. Chara ate it and giggled after swallowing.

“...”

Undyne appeared clueless. Alphys began to look flustered again.

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara said, turning their eyes away. “Do you think...I look pretty today?”

“Uh, what?”

“Well, you said before I had really pretty eyes, didn't you?”

“Why, yes, I...I did,” Frisk replied, trying to stifle a laugh. Chara's acting couldn't possibly get any worse.

“Here, have another bite!”

Chara put a spoonful of food into Frisk's mouth again. Alphys was starting to grow nearly as red as Chara did when they blushed.

“Thank you, Chara,” Frisk said.

“Frisk, I have a confession to make,” Chara said suddenly. They took some grapes from the basket on the table.

Alphys was shaking.

“Yeah?”

“I...really like your eyes, too,” Chara replied. They raised the grapes in front of Frisk. “Your eyes are so delicate and lovely. Oh, and have a nibble.”

“All right, Chara. If you insist.”

“...What's going on here?” Undyne asked.

“MMMMMM!” Alphys seemed to be saying, but she couldn't open her mouth.

As Frisk started eating the grapes, Chara put an arm on Frisk's shoulder.

“Have as many as you want,” Chara said. “Anything for my dear, cute friend, Frisk!”

Chara pulled the grapes away for a second to kiss Frisk on the lips.

“OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOD!” Alphys suddenly screamed. “ARE YOU...ARE YOU TWO IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER?”

“...Yes,” Frisk replied, cringing.

“We've been...we've been dating for a while now,” Chara added.

Alphys squealed.

“Oh my god...oh my god oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD! THE SHIP IS REAL!”

“Ship?” Frisk asked, raising their eyes.

“That's when you take two people whom you think would be really cute together, and you...umm, you imagine that they actually like each other,” Chara explained to Frisk. “Most of the time, it's done to fictional characters, but...”

“Where did you learn this?”

It was Chara's turn to blush now. “Uh, well, Alphys' games and stuff...”

Still squealing, Alphys seemed to be trying to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Charisk is actually a thing.”

Frisk's eyes grew wide. 

“....CHARISK?”

* * *

After dinner, Alphys wouldn't leave her room. Every once in a while, Frisk would hear squealing or screaming come from behind her door, followed by Undyne telling her to calm down.

“You did this just to see Alphys' reaction, didn't you?” Frisk said to Chara.

Chara had the most guilty grin on their face. “If you've seen the stuff that's on her blog, you'd be tempted to do it, too.”

“Her blog?”

Come to think of it, they had never actually looked at it before.

“You mean weeaboo dinosaur dot tumblr dot com or something?” Frisk continued.

A grave expression came over Chara's face. They turned around slowly to face Frisk.

“No.”

“What?”

“Don't go there.”

“Now, I'm interested...”

Chara jumped and tackled Frisk. Both of them fell onto their bed.

“It's for your own good!” Chara shouted.

Frisk tried to push Chara off, but ended up laughing as they fell into a mini-wrestling match. Their arms were pinned down, but with all their strength and determination, they reached for and grabbed the nearest pillow and whacked Chara in the face with it.

Giggling, Chara grabbed their own pillow and lifted it up, about to hit Frisk back.

“Get a room, you two,” a voice said.

Frisk turned their head up to see Asriel looking at them from his flower pot on the table disapprovingly.

“...Right,” Chara said, stepping down from their bed to return to their seat. “As I said, Frisk, don't go to Alphys' blog.”

“No promises there. This whole 'shipping' thing...interests me.”

Chara laid their head down on the table, whispering something like 'what have I done...'

“Ha! It's all your fault,” Asriel said, pointing a finger-like leaf at Chara. “Maybe if you thought about being something other than a massive piece of trash, you wouldn't have ended up pulling Frisk down to your level. Now you're both garbage!”

“That's not nice, Asriel!” Frisk said. “Don't call Chara 'trash' or garbage!”

“Frisk...” Chara whispered.

“Yeah?”

Chara sighed.


	22. Haircut

Frisk woke up and glanced at the clock. Still half an hour before eight. 

They felt hot, and noticed that they had pulled all the blankets around themselves. Quietly, Frisk uncurled the blankets wrapped around their body and threw half of them over Chara. They inched closer to Chara until their face was nearly buried against Chara's shoulder.

Chara turned over and opened an eye lazily.

Without saying anything, Frisk raised their arm and wrapped it around Chara's back. Chara appeared complacent about this. A little smile spread across Frisk's face as they nuzzled their face up against Chara's, getting close enough to feel Chara's warmth. 

“...Your hair is in my face,” Chara whispered suddenly.

Frisk brushed their hair aside. 

“You're so warm,” Frisk whispered back into Chara's ear. “I want to use you as a blanket.”

“...What?”

Something that Frisk had realized recently was that their own body temperature was unusually low, especially in the morning after waking up. If they stuck even a single limb out from under their blankets, they would end up sneezing and getting a stuffy nose. In order to avoid this, they usually had to get dressed – putting on a jacket and pants – while they were still in bed. 

But Chara was like a furnace. It was one of the reasons why they liked sleeping together so much. Chara's body temperature felt significantly higher than their own, and that made them that much better to cuddle with.

“I want to have you as a blanket,” Frisk repeated.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Frisk wrapped their other arm around Chara's back. The feeling of warm, soft skin against their own was so comforting. They closed their eyes and began to drift back to sleep.

When they awoke again, they found all the blankets around themselves...again. Even though they were hugging Chara, their sleeping self apparently still couldn't get enough warmth. Chara was already awake, but they looked drowsy. Frisk threw the blankets over Chara again before going back to hugging them.

“Frisk,” Chara whispered. “I don't mind you hugging me. But...don't you think we should get up now?”

“What time is it?”

“Eight fifteen.”

Frisk rubbed their face against Chara's, relishing in the touch of someone so warm. “I just want to keep sleeping with you.”

Chara smiled and kissed Frisk on the cheek. “What's with you this morning?”

“...I can't get enough of your warmth.”

A slightly confused expression came over Chara's face. “You stole all the blankets from me last night.”

Frisk's smile disappeared. “...Sorry.”

“That's fine.” Chara squeezed their hand out from under their blankets to give Frisk a soft pat on the head. “If you need to feel warm, have the blankets...and as much of me as you want.”

“Wow. Didn't know you were so easy.”

“...Easy?!”

Frisk kissed Chara on the lips. A blush came instantly over Chara's face. 

“It's too early in the morning,” Chara said in a tired voice. “I w-want to kiss you, too, but...”

“But what?”

“...I don't have the energy for it.”

Of course. Chara was a night owl, and they often stayed up past midnight playing games and browsing websites. 

Frisk moved their hand up Chara's back, then sifted their fingers through Chara's hair.

Chara was so pretty, and their hair always smelled so nice. They had an androgynous face, which Frisk found gorgeous. Sometimes, they just wanted to stare at Chara forever, especially when Chara's eyes were open. Their eyes were so charming, with that enticing redness. They probably wouldn't admit it to them, but they thought Chara was the most beautiful person that they knew. If only they could look into Chara's eyes forever, and have that moment be frozen in time, like a painting – that would be bliss.

Gently, Frisk lifted their fingers out of Chara's hair and caressed their cheeks. Chara smiled again. They leaned forward to return the kiss-

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Both Frisk and Chara turned around to see Alphys at the door, red as a tomato, squealing and hyperventilating simultaneously. Frisk threw themselves off Chara and hid under the blanket.

“I'M SORRY!” Alphys shouted, hiding her face behind her hands, before promptly dashing out of the room.

* * *

Today was a special day. It was the last day before winter holidays began, during which campus would be closed. Frisk went to the university and wished happy holidays to their tutors, and urged Chara to do the same (Chara was still a little bit shy around other humans). It took a bit of convincing, but, eventually, Chara acquired the courage to do it. 

Upon seeing Chara say something nice for once, their tutors gave a warm smile and offered them a hug. Chara refused, and ran away to the cafeteria with Frisk.

This being the last day before winter holidays, most of the students had finished their exams, and the cafeteria was fairly empty. Frisk occupied a corner table, still preferring the quietest spot in the room. From here, they could read their books in peace.

For the holidays, Frisk had checked out numerous books of world history. They were trying to find some mention of monsters in these history books in order to determine the period of time during which the war between monsters and humans had occurred. Unfortunately, their search had so far been unsuccessful. Most likely, it must have been that the war had occurred before the invention of human writing. Monsters had their own ancient writing system, which was potentially older than that of humans', but no trace of it remained on the surface world.

“Why do you like history so much?” Chara asked. They were busy eating their lunch, while Frisk had barely touched their own food.

“I want to understand people,” Frisk replied. “If there's one thing that people need more of, it's empathy. And the best way to understand others is to understand their past.”

Chara sighed. “But history is so boring.” 

“Everyone has their own interests, Chara.”

While they were unable to find anything on monster history, they found the study of human history by itself to be a fascinating topic. One of their reasons for choosing to journey the world had been to see all its different people. If there was one thing about human beings that Frisk found admirable, it was the sheer diversity of ideas, attitudes, and values that distinct societies could create.

They read about the ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean, like Greece. They read about the Roman Empire, its conquests, and its wars with the Persian Empire. They read about the dynasties of China, and the recurring revolutions that toppled them. They read about the societies of the peoples that lived in the continents across the oceans (the Aztecs, Mayans, and Inca). They read about the middle ages, the renaissance, and the rise of imperialism. Then, the industrial revolution, the devastating wars and regimes of the twentieth century, the invention of a scientific weapon that could annihilate sentient life on the surface world...

Sometimes, they thought that monsters had been spared the worst of it, simply by disappearing from human history early enough. There was no period of human history untouched by war or conflict. Had monsters returned to the surface at a time when humans weren't even tolerant of each other, how would they have survived?

Nevertheless, there was hope. Humans had determination, and the will to change. From reading history, Frisk could see how things had progressed – and often for the better. Not every problem had been solved, but nothing could be accomplished by being cynical about it. With everyone's determination put in the right place, in kindness, and empathy, and mercy – perhaps the world could become peaceful one day.

“I'm done,” Frisk said at last, putting down a book that they had been reading on ancient warfare. 

“Frisk,” Chara said, “You seem troubled by something.”

“Why?”

Chara leaned towards them, placing a hand beneath their chin. “You look like you're kind of...zoned out.”

“What?”

Frisk brushed away Chara's hand, and then a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of their eyes. “I'm not.”

“Are you sure?”

Their eyes turned upwards, looking at their own hair, which had grown rather long. Often, when they lowered their head to read, their hair would fall in front of their eyes. It was becoming annoying.

“I'm fine,” Frisk said again.

“...All right.”

After lunch, they met up with Alphys and went home with their chauffeur. Alphys looked a bit more worried than usual. Frisk asked her if there was anything wrong, to which she responded with a very defeated smile.

“I...I suppose I ought to t-tell you about how much research on the timelines is g-going.”

“How is it?” Frisk asked.

“It's disconcerting,” Alphys said in a troubled tone. She raised a claw to scratch her head. “More and more timelines are d-disappearing. We've lost nearly another thousand.”

Chara made a slight gasp. “What?!”

“I don't know what's h-happening,” Alphys continued. “Sans says he's started d-doing his own research, but he hasn't reported to me on any of it yet.”

“Do you have any way of finding out what's happening in every timeline?” Frisk asked.

“Well...no,” Alphys said, sighing. “But, it seems like our simulation files are becoming c-corrupt, and the only cause of that would be if...if our s-signals had disappeared.”

“What about technology malfunction?”

“Still a p-possibility, but it's strange that certain timeline files are corrupting, w-while others are still intact.”

Frisk leaned back in their seat.

They looked out the window as people, buildings, and streets zoomed by. The first snows of winter had started falling. They were light snows, forming only a white fuzz on the ground. It was nothing compared to Snowdin. But, unlike Snowdin, the snow actually fell from the skies, in the form of pretty little flakes. All the monsters looking outside right now were probably fascinated by it.

Chara, sitting beside them, was looking out the window as well. There was an indifferent expression on their face. Frisk thought they looked beautiful. Chara wore the spider silk scarf that they had bought from the monster supermarket months ago. It looked so pretty on them.

“...I see,” they said at last.

* * *

“I need a haircut,” Frisk said after dinner. They were in their room, sitting on the bed, while Chara was in front of their computer at the desk. 

“Huh?”

“My hair is too long, and it's getting in my eyes,” Frisk said. “Know any good barbers around here?”

“I can cut your hair,” Chara said suddenly.

“...Really?”

Chara smiled. They searched around their desk drawers and took out a scissor. “Frisk. When I was young, I learned how to cut my hair on my own.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. That was good, because Toriel – umm, mom, I mean – didn't know how to deal with human hair at all!”

“Would you really give me a haircut?”

Chara's smile turned sly. They got out of their chair and pushed it in front of the mirror in their room.

“I'd love to,” they said. “I could make you look so cute! Ummm, if you're willing to let me, I mean...”

To Frisk, 'cute' simply meant keeping their hair neat, even, and at a long enough length to preserve the fairly androgynous look that they had for themselves. They didn't like having their hair cut too short, which would make some people think that they were male. A barber could accidentally do that. It might be interesting to take their chances with Chara instead.

“Okay.”

“You will? Great! Thanks, I'll do my best!”

They sat down in the chair and looked at themselves in the mirror. Chara stood behind them, scissors in hand, still smiling.

...It was actually a fairly disturbing sight.

“So, how short do you want it? In the back? At the sides? In front?”

“Do you remember my hair length when you first met me?” Frisk asked. “Something like that would be nice.”

“This much?”

Chara took strands of Frisk's hair and pulled it up, showing the length that they planned to cut.

“Yeah. That's fine.”

“Okay!”

Frisk braced themselves. They didn't know how forcefully Chara would cut their hair, and they expected a bit of pulling, a bit of pain. But, to their surprise, Chara was extremely gentle. They cut very slowly, measuring each cut meticulously before taking it. Frisk started to grow bored.

“...Chara. Could you maybe do this a bit faster?”

“No!” Chara replied, becoming flustered. “I have to do this perfectly. I can't allow myself to mess up your hair, Frisk!”

“It's okay. I just could go to a barber if yo-”

“No, it's not!”

Frisk sighed. 

They closed their eyes and tried to rest a little. For some reason, they were feeling a little tired today. Maybe it was because they had read too much. Their book today had been on ancient warfare, which was a heavy topic, after all. Reading about all the different ways that people back in the day killed each other (often sadistically) was hardly something to make their day feel better.

Their thoughts began to drift towards everything that had happened in the past few days, from their learning about the troubles with the timelines to the creepy adventure that they had had down in the tunnels. That adventure seemed so far away now – far enough to almost seem like a dream, or a part of their imagination. Perhaps it was. Perhaps, because they had been tired, or because they had been in those tunnels for too long, they had started to see things. Maybe there wasn't another version of themselves down there. Maybe there hadn't been that giant shadow.

...That was just wishful thinking. They still remembered what Chara had recounted of the night terror that they had had the other day, and what Alphys told them later of the genocidal Frisk. A Frisk who killed everyone in the underground rather than befriended them. A Frisk who potentially caused their own timeline to go dark. A deranged Frisk.

There was, in their distant memory, an event that had always left them feeling unsatisfied, a little unhappy with themselves. It had happened long before they went on their journey up Mount Ebott. Somehow, the current state of things reminded them of this event.

“Chara,” Frisk said, “Do you want to hear a story?”

“Huh? Well, sure.”

Frisk's eyes closed. They took a deep breath and tried to refresh their memories. To understand it, they wanted to put into a narrative. And the best way to create a convincing narrative was to make a story out of it.

“Long ago,” Frisk began, “A little child was on a journey. The child was journeying across the world. They just wanted to explore places, meet new people, experience new things. They wanted to see everything that the world had to offer for them.”

_Snip, snip._

“One particular journey took them to a poor part of the world. It was a place where people lived in poverty, and there was constant war. No one liked it, and every day was harsh. Yet...the child realized, as they went across this place and talked to people, that the people weren't necessarily unhappy. Sure, there were lots of problems, and no one knew if they were even going to live to see the next day, but...everyone had something. Something to keep them going.”

Chara was silent.

“The child made friends with a teenager who was the eldest in his family. He was someone who had to take care of his mother and four siblings. His father was dead, lost to the war. They had little to no money, and he had to work very hard every day to even have enough food for his family to live by. The child pitied this family, and moved in temporarily with them to help them out. Together, they could work to earn just a little more food, to make everyone in the family's lives just a little bit easier.”

_Snip, snip._

“The child's friend loved his family. He loved his siblings, and his mother, and he did everything to make sure that they were happy, that they would survive to see each new day. That was the reason for why he lived. He worked tirelessly, often putting his own health at risk. On many days, he did not even come home. He would only return when he thought that he had worked hard enough, when he thought that he had earned enough food so that his siblings would be full and smiling at him, instead of crying from the pain of hunger.”

_Snip, snip._

“But everything changed one day when the war came to his little village. He woke up one day, and his youngest sister was dead. His other siblings were injured trying to protect her. He grew enraged, and began to question his life, wondering why he and his family deserved this when they were all poor, when he had worked so hard to make sure that they were all happy. He decided that the only way to solve this problem was to fight back. He had to fight against the enemy that had attacked them, to avenge his sister...though, in his mind, he was just trying to protect them.”

_Snip, snip._

Frisk opened their eyes. “The child realized that, in his mind, it had become 'kill or be killed...'”

“He joined a group of people who had weapons and the capability to fight. They accepted him immediately and began training him. The only problem, however, was that this group was rather extreme. They believed in a certain ideology, and fought only for that ideology. Anyone who didn't agree with them was considered to be the enemy. The propagators of the war and the people that attacked the village were against this group and their ideology, which was why he found solace in siding with them, even if it meant taking in their extreme views as well.”

_Snip, snip._

“...Well, the child tried to talk him out of it. They tried to make him understand that what he was doing wasn't really helping his family at all, and that he should go back to work, go back to helping his family survive in the only way that he can. But he didn't want to go back. He was convinced that this was the only way to save his family. He completed his training, and was ready to go to war.”

_Snip, snip._

“However, on the night before he was to leave to fight, his mother went to talk to him. They talked for a long time, the mother and him and his siblings and the child watching them. They convinced him to give up on fighting, and to leave the group. He finally agreed and decided to go back to his old life the next day.”

_Snip, snip._

“Now, the group was still intent on fighting, and because of them, most of the people in the village were preparing for war, siding with that group. On the next day, news arrived that soldiers were returning to the village, intent on destroying this group. But, the family would not fight. No matter what, they would not engage in any side of the war. They would remain peaceful.”

Frisk clasped their hands together. “It was getting dangerous. So, this child...they decided to leave the village. They had stayed for long enough, and they felt like their journey needed to continue. They said their final goodbyes to their friend, and their family, wishing them the best. Then, before the morning, they left the village. And so, their journey went on.”

“Frisk...” Chara said, their voice almost as soft as a whisper. “You're...you are this child, aren't you?”

For a while, Frisk was silent.

“...The child sometimes wonders what would've happened if they stayed,” Frisk said finally. “They often feel like they've abandoned their friend.”

“...Frisk...”

“Hey, that looks good,” Frisk said, putting on a bright smile. They turned their head to check the sides of their hair. “Your haircutting skills aren't bad, Chara.”

“Frisk. Why did you tell me this story?”

“I thought it'd be nice to let you know,” Frisk answered. “I'm not the nicest person. I left behind someone whom I cared about, even though I knew that their situation was becoming dangerous.”

They shook their head slowly. “I...I wonder, often, about how their lives turned out. I never heard from them again. I just want a bit of closure, sometimes.”

Chara sighed. “Frisk. I don't care what you did back then. What matters is everything you did after. You...you were kind to every monster in the underground. You helped so many people. You helped take down the barrier, and brought monsters back to the surface. And...you helped me, too, Frisk.”

Frisk felt themselves beginning to blush. “Chara, I...”

Chara leaned down and gave them a kiss on the cheek. “Frisk. You're a lovely person. I know it's weird to hear this from me, but...don't hold on to the past, okay? It's hard to let go – I know that from experience. Still, I try, and–”

“I understand,” Frisk said, nodding. “I probably made it more dramatic than it really was. All that did happen a while ago. I'm not too concerned about it anymore.”

“Okay.”

After making the final cut and brushing Frisk's hair, Chara stood back. “How does it look?”

“Perfect. Thank you, Chara.”

Chara put their hands on Frisk's cheeks and gave them a soft pinch. “You are so ridiculously cute, now.”

“Oh, stop that.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“...Let me get up and wash my hair.”

Chara kissed them anyway, on the cheek again. “So, after you take a shower?”

“Yeah.”

Frisk stood up and stretched. It had been a relief to tell that story. It was a relief to take all of that off their mind. Somehow, they had felt like they needed to tell it.

“You know what?” Frisk said suddenly.

Chara looked at them curiously.

Frisk leaned towards Chara and kissed them on the lips.

“...Have a kiss, anyway.”


	23. New Date

With classes over for the window holidays, Frisk found themselves spending most of their days reading to themselves. Chara had nothing to do after lunch, so they just lounged on the couch in their living room. Frisk would lie beside them and read.

“Why can't you be more productive, like Frisk?” Asriel spoke up one day.

Chara threw their head back and looked at Asriel, who was in his pot on a desk. “I don't want to do anything.”

“You could help out Alphys with her research.”

“What could I do?”

“If you can't help her with the timelines stuff, maybe you can work on helping me get my body and soul back?”

A frown appeared on Chara's face, but they didn't say anything in reply. 

“Chara?” Asriel said again.

“...Leave me alone.”

Later, Frisk felt themselves needing some warmth. The room was heated to a supposedly comfortable twenty-three degrees Celsius, but, for some reason, they still felt cold. Chara wouldn't turn the thermostat up any higher. With a sly smile, Frisk laid their head down into Chara's lap and began reading while lying there.

To their surprise, Chara didn't say anything in response. They looked drowsy, but their eyes were open. 

Frisk cuddled up close to Chara. 

“...Frisk.”

“Yeah?”

“Let me hug you.”

That was surprising, but Frisk complied. They put down their book and sat up. They leaned towards Chara and wrapped their arms around them. The warmth of another human being's body was so pleasant and reassuring. They leaned their head against Chara's, feeling the contact of skin against smooth skin. A deep breath of the scent of buttercups. These were the moments that they wished would last forever.

“Frisk.”

“Yes?”

“I...I'm at fault again, aren't I?”

Frisk pulled away just slightly, so that they could look into Chara's eyes. Chara had a look of concern written all over their face.

“What's wrong?”

“The timelines thing,” Chara began in an anxious tone of voice. “You know...with that Genocide Frisk.”

“What about it?”

Chara lowered their eyes. “Where...where do you think I am in that timeline? Or any of the other timelines?”

“I don't know.”

“Come on. You know what I'm talking about.”

“Chara, I really don't understand.”

They sighed, but their expression just became sadder. Frisk felt Chara's grip on them grow stronger, and they were pulled closer. Chara was so warm.

“If it's anyone's fault that Genocide Frisk behaved the way that they did, it's mine,” Chara whispered. “Frisk. You're such a sweet, gentle person. You couldn't possibly have gone around killing everybody of your own volition. The only reason why you must have done that, in that timeline...the only reason must be because I told you to. And you listened to me. You...you remember how I was like at first, right? You know. What you did in that timeline was exactly what I had been telling you to do. I told you to murder everyone.”

“I don't think so,” Frisk replied. It was a possibility, but they were far from convinced. “If I didn't agree to murder everyone in this timeline when you told me to, why would I do that in any other timeline?”

“Because...because maybe I was harsher. Maybe I was threatening you, and I made you do it.”

“No. I doubt that that Frisk would have gone so far as to kill every person in the entirety of the underground just because you were threatening them. I think...when I saw them in the simulation, they looked like they were smiling. Somehow, they were satisfied with all their murdering.”

“...Yeah, and that would've been me, too, if you hadn't shown me how to be better.”

Frisk caressed Chara's back gently. They placed a hand beneath Chara's chin, lifted their head, and looked into their eyes.

“No. It wasn't your fault. The only person that could be responsible for murdering everybody is myself. The other me, I mean, in that timeline.”

“But...but why would they be so different than you are now?”

“I don't know,” Frisk said, shaking their head. “It's not easy to figure something like that out.”

“So, I'm the only culprit.”

“No. Until we have more information, we can't jump to any conclusions. And, you know...what does it matter, Chara? How we behaved in another timeline has no bearing on who we are right now. I don't care about what kind of person you or I could've become.” 

Chara's expression softened. There was still a melancholic look in their eyes, and they appeared sad in a thoughtful way. 

“You say that so easily,” Chara said at last. 

“I mean it.”

“Well, I'm worried. I'm worried that I could become like that again one day.”

Frisk laid their hands on Chara's shoulders. “You won't.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I believe in you. I think you've always been a good person at heart.”

Chara looked like they were going to cry.

“It's...it's not like that,” Chara said, sniffing. “I haven't always been such a good person. And, and – there are things that could happen, things that could turn me like...like how I was back then again.”

“What kind of things?”

Frisk glanced behind them, wondering if Asriel was listening in on their conversation. There was no face on the flower in the pot right now, but Asriel was probably just hiding.

“Things like...” Chara's words trailed off. They looked back up at Frisk. Their eyes were wet.

“Things like losing you.”

Frisk became frozen.

“And, what if someone out there came and tried to kill you?” Chara continued. “I...I wouldn't be able to hold back. I'd kill them immediately. I don't care if it's a stranger or if it's Genocide Frisk, I'll just stab them. And...I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. If I lost you, I might...I might just kill everyone.”

“Chara...”

“I don't want to lose you, Frisk.”

“You won't.” Frisk tried to smile in a cheerful way. “I know it sounds strange, but I can't really die, right? If I'm close to death, I'll just wish really, really hard that I could go back in time and change things, and then everything will get reset. That's how it's always been.”

“You...haven't reset in a while, though.”

“That's because I haven't needed to.”

Chara remained silent.

“Hey, you know what?” Frisk said. “We actually haven't gone on a date for a while. How about we go again?”

A flicker of a smile reappeared upon Chara's face. They sniffed again, and then wiped at their eyes. “Really, Frisk? A date, now?”

“Why not? It's the holidays. We've got tons of free time.”

“...All right, fine.” Chara laughed quietly. “Yeah. I've been waiting for you to ask me out.”

* * *

They went to the city's downtown shopping mall, which was bustling at this time of the year. There was even a little amusement park set up at the mall's entrance, with rides, games, and food. Chara wanted to buy clothing, so they went into the mall first.

Frisk had expected the mall to be full of people, but even they felt astounded by the size of the crowd. Everywhere they looked, they saw a sea of people, with a few monsters interspersed amongst them. It was noisy and chaotic. They noticed Chara putting on an indifferent face, though Chara was clearly anxious. The two of them went quickly into a clothing shop where there was relatively less people.

“Are they serious?” Chara said, taking out a shirt containing a picture of Mettaton with the words 'MTT-Brand Glamour' written on it. “Who would ever want to buy this?”

“Actually, that's one of the most popular shirts we have,” the storekeeper, a cat monster, said. He put on a giant smile that reeked of fake happiness. “Also, you're in the 'monster clothing' section, little buddy. Should I direct you to the 'human clothing' section?”

This particular monster looked quite familiar to Frisk. It came to them a moment later.

“Burgerpants!” Frisk exclaimed. “I didn't know you worked here!”

A strong blush came over the cat monster's face. He looked petrified, as if the name that Frisk had called him had triggered some horrible memory.

“Hey. Don't call me that, little buddy,” Burgerpants said, leaning down towards Frisk. “I have a name you know. It's...ugh. Never mind.”

Chara looked back and forth between Frisk and the cat monster. “You know him?”

“Yeah. I met him at the MTT Hotel back in the underground,” Frisk replied.

“Well. Isn't it nice to meet old friends again?” Burgerpants said, putting on his giant fake smile again. It was hard to tell whether or not he was being sarcastic. “So, who's this little fella here?”

“Don't call me 'little fella',” Chara retorted.

The smile disappeared into a remorseful expression. “Ooops. My bad.”

“That's my friend, Chara,” Frisk said, smiling warmly. 

Chara glared at Burgerpants, but then softened their expression. “Nice to meet you...Burgerpants.”

Burgerpants cringed. “Nice to meet you, too...Chara.”

Frisk tried to strike up a casual conversation to lighten the mood. “So, how's life going for you?”

“Life? It's great!” Somehow, Burgerpants' cringe became even larger. “I got out of the underground after the barrier broke down, hoping to redeem myself by finding a new acting career. Mettaton became a star amongst the humans almost immediately, so I was hoping that I could follow in his footsteps! And, well, you see...”

His face retreated into that morose expression again.

“You see, the humans' film industry doesn't really care about us monsters,” Burgerpants continued. “They just want to cast us as extras, or as villains. Why go through the trouble of creating props or CGI when you can just hire a bunch of monsters to pose as the cast of whatever fantasy species you want in your movie? But, no, of course we can't actually be the protagonists of your story. No, no, why would anyone go to the theatres to watch a CAT MONSTER instead of a human?”

“Haven't monsters starting creating their own film industry?” Frisk mentioned.

“You mean the industry that's COMPLETELY DOMINATED by everything and anything Mettaton?” His cringe was back, stronger than ever. “That's the very kind of life I had been trying to escape! Why would I go back to it now that I'm on the surface, where there's plenty of other opportunities for me elsewhere?”

Burgerpants calmed down. “...Oh, right. There's tons of opportunities, all right. Not!”

Chara appeared both confused as well as mildly amused by Burgerpants' erratically changing facial expressions. They giggled, and then turned away.

“See ya, little buddy,” Burgerpants said, putting on their giant smile one more time. “Whatever you do, don't become like me.”

“Have you...tried finding other types of employment?” Frisk asked.

“Maybe I would...if I had any experience doing something other than being a store waiter,” he said in a defeated voice. “Times are hard. I've gotta stick with whatever I have.”

Frisk gave them a sympathetic look.

“I hope you can do better than me, little buddy,” he said, smiling. There was still that acerbic tinge to his smile, but there was a hint of sincerity in his expression well. Sincerity, and also a slight bit of defeat.

“Okay. I'll see you,” Frisk said, turning away to catch up with Chara.

Their conversation made Frisk wonder, as they left the store, what they were going to be once they grew up. Most likely, they'd go to university and get a degree in some subject. But which one? History? Politics? Sociology?

Perhaps they would become a teacher, like Toriel. They felt that they could be a good history teacher. But they also wanted to do research. Maybe they could become an archaeologist, or a curator. Or, they could work as a monster sociologist, studying and recording and analyzing the bilateral effects that monsters returning to the surface had on both human and monster society. If they worked hard, they could even become a professor at a university. 

“Chara,” Frisk asked. “Have you ever thought about what you'd want to be when you grow older?”

“...Not particularly,” Chara answered, sounding uninterested.

“Well, I was just thinking about that. I think I'd want to either a teacher or a monster sociology researcher.”

Chara looked at Frisk and smiled. “I think you'd be a wonderful teacher.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just like mother.”

Frisk rolled their eyes. “...Thank you.”

The next shop that they went into was an antiques store, which was owned by a pair of monsters. Upon entering, Frisk immediately recognized the two monsters standing behind the counter. 

“Hey!” Frisk called, waving at them. “Hi, Bratty and Catty.”

“Oh my god, it's the human!” Bratty said, chuckling to herself.

“Come on, Bratty,” Catty said. “Their name's Frisk. It's not like being human is like, special anymore or anything.”

“I know, Catty,” Bratty replied. “But, like, when we were underground, they were, like, THE human, you know?”

Catty giggled. “Yeah, you're right. I guess, like, that's what we'll always remember you as, Frisk!”

Chara glanced at the two monsters curiously.

“So who's, like, your new friend?” Catty asked, gesturing at Chara with a paw.

“That's Chara,” Frisk answered.

Chara waved at the two monsters. “...Hi?”

“Wow, they look so like you, Frisk,” Bratty said, giggling. “Are they like, your twin or sibling or something?”

“Umm, no!” Chara replied, putting on a flustered smile. “Frisk and I are...uh, friends.”

“Datefriends,” Frisk added, grinning.

“Oh my god, are the two of you here on a date?” Catty put a paw in front of her mouth and giggled even more. “Actually, I TOTALLY see it!”

“They're so into each other, they have, like, the same hair and sweater and everything!” Bratty exclaimed. “Catty, you know what?”

“Yeah, Bratty?”

“I think they're, like, PERFECT for each other.”

“Like, me too, and stuff!”

Chara was blushing heavily. “Ummm...right.”

“Just let us browse for a bit, okay?” Frisk said, still smiling.

Frisk felt Chara grabbing their hand and pulling them away from the counter...and out the store.

“Are you friends with every monster in this mall?” Chara asked.

“I did make friends with almost everyone in the underground,” Frisk replied. “Some of them remember me better than others, I guess.”

Chara sighed. “I guess I should've expected that.”

They spent the rest of their time in the mall window shopping, which turned out to be less exciting of a date than Frisk had anticipated it to be. There were too many people in the mall, and Chara seemed like they just wanted to spend some time with Frisk alone. As evening approached, the number of people in the amusement park outside of the mall grew less, so they decided to have a visit. 

“Nice cream! Get your nice cream here!” A vendor was shouting out.

It was another familiar face. Frisk approached the blue-furred bunny monster and waved hello at him.

“Hey! You're Frisk!” The nice cream vendor said in response. “How're you doing?”

“Good,” Frisk replied. “How's business going for you?”

“It's better than it's ever been in the underground!” he exclaimed. “Who knew that humans liked having nice 'jokes' in their ice cream so much? All of them look so cheerful when they read it!”

Frisk laughed. “They're very heartwarming to read.”

“Well, I was honestly expecting them to laugh instead...”

Chara walked up beside Frisk.

“So! Would you like some nice cream? Just for you, I'll give you a discount!” 

“Sure!” Frisk said, taking out their VC (virtual coins) card from their wallet.

They bought a vanilla nice cream cone for themselves and a chocolate cone for Chara. After, they decided to line up for the Ferris Wheel ride.

Chara opened up the message wrapped inside their nice cream cone.

“You look nice today!” They read it aloud. A smile started to appear on their face.

“You do look nice,” Frisk said, winking at Chara.

Chara leaned towards Frisk and gave them a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. What does yours say?”

Frisk stuffed their note into their pocket. “I'll tell you later.”

“Huh?”

“Just trust me!”

The line for the ride was long, and they had to stand out in the cold. Frisk huddled closely beside Chara to keep warm. When they reached the front of the line, they stepped into a seat and sat down, holding each others' hands. The wheel turned, and they gradually started to go up while the other passengers boarded.

Frisk turned to look at Chara and smiled. “Let's enjoy this ride.”

Chara's expression grew strangely sad again.

“Chara?”

“Frisk...sometimes, I don't know how to express myself,” Chara whispered.

“What do you mean?”

Chara reached for Frisk's hand again. “I mean...I couldn't have ever imagined before that my life was going to turn out like this. Going on dates with you. Living with Alphys. Being alive.”

They turned their head up, looking at the sky, as their seat in the ferris wheel ascended.

“Do you not like it?” Frisk asked.

“No! Th-that's not what I meant!”

Chara leaned their head against Frisk's shoulder.

“I just feel so grateful,” they whispered. “Grateful to have someone like you.”

“Chara...”

They were almost to the top of the ferris wheel. Frisk looked out of their seat to their right, observing the sights below. 

At night, the city was alit with bright and colourful lights. Only the sky above them was dark, with few stars in sight, and the moon tonight was hidden. Below, the city streets continued to bustle with activity. Crowds of people, both human and monster, filled the sidewalks. The roads were an eternal stream of cars and buses. It was a beautiful sort of activity – beautiful to watch, because they felt as if they were an observer of life itself. They were observing life in its honest business, of people getting by simply through living day after day. Etched in everybody's footsteps was their daily joys, their worries, and their sadnesses. They were watching the progress of people, the making of history. 

And here they were, sitting with Chara, going through their daily life, just like everyone else.

A chilly wind blew past them. Frisk felt the urge to cuddle with Chara. They took out the note that they had hidden in their pocket.

“Love yourself,” Frisk whispered into Chara's ear. “I love you!”

“Frisk?”

Frisk leaned in towards them and kissed.

They held the kiss for a while, enjoying the intimacy of having this moment alone together. Here, in their seat at the top of the ferris wheel, nothing could distract them. All they had was each other. They shared in each other's warmth, they shared in each other's comfort, and they shared in each other's love.

Frisk leaned their body closer to Chara's and wrapped their arms around them so that they were hugging. As they kissed, Frisk closed their eyes. 

“...Frisk,” Chara said, pulling away suddenly. “I don't deserve this.”

“What are you saying?”

“I...I told you. I'm not a very good person. I don't deserve someone like you.”

“Don't say that. We kissed before, and you didn't mind then.”

Chara turned their eyes away. “I guess...I'm just embarrassed right now.”

“Of what? I doubt anybody's watching.”

There was a deep blush on Chara's face. “...There could be.”

“I'd politely request them to turn away, then.”

Chara giggled. “Frisk. You're...you're too good for me.”

“You're the one that I like.”

Frisk leaned in for a kiss again. Chara reciprocated, more gently this time. They hugged Chara tightly, comforted by their warm presence. Chara was soft, and their hair smelled so nice. They nuzzled up against Chara's cheek, savouring the feeling of close, cozy affection.

They started to get into the kiss, just like on that night during their previous date. Chara's lips were tender, and it felt so good to kiss them. They put their hand around Chara's neck, gently stroking them. Chara gasped when Frisk added their tongue to the kiss. But, in spite of their surprise, Chara held on, and Frisk nuzzled in closer. They moved their hands down to Chara's back and waist and held them tightly. In return, Chara held Frisk in their lap, gripping their back and shoulders.

The warmth of their hug and the intimacy of their kiss made Frisk shudder. Chara kissed back with their tongue as well, and now their lips were wet. This was their first time doing it this way, but Frisk enjoyed it even more than before. It was passionate and sensual. They opened their eyes again and looked into Chara's. Their red eyes were so beautiful. Their blush made them so adorable. 

Slowly, they breathed in and exhaled. The feeling of Chara's lips had filled them with such a deep ardor for them. They wanted to have it again. When they went in for the next kiss, they felt themselves trembling with desire and with fondness. Their lips touched, and they began kissing again. Chara was fully compliant this time. This kiss was long and soft and pleasant. 

They kissed until they felt the ferris wheel moving again. It was moving fully this time, and so they were going to go back down soon. Frisk pulled away and shuddered at the feeling of having Chara's warmth leave them.

“...”

“I really hope no one was looking at us,” Chara whispered.

“Don't worry,” Frisk replied. They didn't know what else to say but that.

* * *

To get back to the laboratory, they took the subway. It was packed with people, but as they went further away from the city centre, the number of people gradually diminished. Eventually, they were able to get a seat.

Frisk was tired from their adventure today. Chara looked even more exhausted, and within minutes, they had already fallen asleep. Frisk felt Chara's head slowly fall onto their shoulder. They smiled and let Chara rest that way.

The station stop inside the city's monster community was near the end of the subway line. Frisk tapped Chara on the shoulder when they arrived.

“Come on. Let's go,” they said.

Chara opened their eyes and blinked. They quickly lifted their head off Frisk's shoulder and stood up. “Ummm...okay.”

“Don't worry about it, Chara.”

“I'm not!” They were already blushing again.

Outside, they walked up the stairs to street level. Their laboratory was just a few blocks away.

It was cold, and Frisk walked closely beside Chara for their warmth. 

When they reached their laboratory, they were surprised to find Alphys waiting for them at the entrance. Their chauffeur and his taxi was there as well.

Frisk became worried when they saw the tense expression on Alphys' face.

“We can't go b-back to your room tonight,” Alphys said immediately upon meeting them.

“Huh? Why not?” Chara asked.

Frisk glanced behind Alphys's shoulder. The inside of the building was a roar of activity. People and monsters were running around, shouting. A few human guards sprinted past the lobby, guns in hand.

A strong feeling of apprehension crept into their mind. Looking at Chara, they saw that their face had turned white.

“Follow me,” Alphys said.

Alphys went into the taxi, and Frisk and Chara stepped into the back seat.

“Where are we going?” Frisk asked.

“To c-campus,” Alphys replied. 

“Why?!” Chara demanded.

“It...it might be safer than here,” Alphys answered. “At least, I hope.”


	24. Confrontation

They had arrived on campus, and were in the lobby of one of the buildings along with Sans, Undyne, and Alphys.

“While you were gone, there was a c-catastrophe in the laboratory basement,” Alphys said. “We h-heard gunfire, and then an explosion. When we went down into the b-basement, we discovered that all our security guards were dead.”

Frisk was shaking. Hearing this, they felt a familiar urge to reset. If they went back, then, maybe, they could save those humans.

“Don't reset,” Sans said, looking at Frisk. “Let Alphys finish her story.”

“I can prevent them from dying!” Frisk argued.

Sans shook his head. “It's not that simple. We have confirmation that Genocide Frisk is in our timeline now. Both you and them are filled with determination. So what happens if either of you try to reset?” Sans shrugged. “We don't have a theory. At worst, this timeline won't be able to handle such an anomaly, and the universe will collapse, destroying everything.”

“Genocide Frisk is here?” Frisk asked.

Chara gripped Frisk's arm, but the expression on their face was calm. “Let's hear them out.”

“They – Genocide Frisk, I mean – left us a note on one of the d-dead guards,” Alphys continued. “Here it is.”

Alphys handed Frisk a piece of paper wrapped in plastic. Flecks of dried blood was on the surface of the paper. Frisk recognized the handwriting on the paper as being their own.

'Have this timeline's Frisk meet me by the hill on the west edge of the city. Do not let anyone else come.'

“This was written by Genocide Frisk?” 

“That's what we think,” Alphys answered. “The trap d-door in the basement had been blown open. Somehow, Genocide Frisk must h-have escaped and killed everyone guarding that door. We s-searched all over the laboratory, but we could not find them.”

A feeling of uneasiness hit Frisk like a truck. If Alphys was right, then that meant Genocide Frisk was now somewhere out in the city. Just thinking about that made Frisk's head spin.

“We get how you're feeling, kid,” Undyne spoke up. “There's a clone of you out in the city somewhere, potentially wreaking havoc. This isn't good.”

“On that note, let's call them something different,” Sans said. “'Genocide Frisk' is a mouthful, and, they don't deserve Frisk's name. I propose we call them 'Killer'.”

Chara turned away from Sans. Noticing this, Sans' expression softened. Frisk faced Chara and placed a hand over their shoulder.

“Chara? Is there s-something wrong?” Alphys asked.

“No,” Chara replied. “I'm fine.”

Frisk leaned towards Chara. “Are you really?”

“...Yes,” Chara whispered back. “Sorry. I thought for a second that Sans was going to call them...my name.”

“He wouldn't do that.”

“Yeah. 'Killer' is fine.”

“So let's go find this 'Killer' and bust their ass!” Undyne shouted. “They said they were going to meet Frisk at the hill, right?”

“We've prepared ourselves t-to engage them,” Alphys said in a nervous voice. “Of course, Frisk, you d-don't need to come.”

“They asked us to,” Frisk said. “Maybe they have something important to tell us.”

Undyne turned towards Frisk and displayed a wide grin. “Well, we can beat it out of them, then! There's no need for you to put yourself in danger for our sake again, Frisk.”

“I'll still go,” Frisk said. “I've seen them once before. I want to talk to them. I...I want to find out what happened to me.”

“Kid. They aren't you!” Undyne continued. “We're dealing with a Killer here! I can't imagine any person more different to you than them.”

“Actually, Frisk has a point,” Sans spoke up. “Killer might have important information that they're only willing to share with Frisk. It might be about what's going to happen if either of them try to reset. They did mention to only let Frisk come.”

“Right,” Frisk said. “If I can reset, then I can go back and save those humans. It's something I have to found out!”

Alphys turned her eyes down. “All r-right, Frisk. If you really insist on coming with us, then we'll let you. But, for your s-sake, we'd prefer if you didn't confront them immediately. We have reinforcements, and we're r-ready to take them on if they try to engage us.”

Frisk nodded. “Okay.”

“Wait. I have a question,” Chara said. “Where's...Asriel? The flower we brought along?”

“We evacuated your room,” Alphys answered. “Asriel and all of your b-belongings have been moved to a safe site on campus.”

Chara breathed in relief. “Thanks.”

* * *

“Frisk. If they try to attack you, I'll murder them,” Chara said.

They were in the car, on their way to the hill that Killer had told them to arrive at. Chara sat in the back seat with Frisk.

“How are you going to fight?” Frisk asked.

A devious grin came over Chara's face. They put their hands in their pants pocket and pulled out a short knife.

“...You were hiding that the whole time?!” Frisk asked.

“Of course. I don't go anywhere without being armed.”

“If Killer can t-take out a group of armed men, I doubt a knife will suffice in killing them,” Alphys spoke up.

“I don't care,” Chara said, tucking the knife away. “I'll fight them anyways.”

“Please don't b-be too rash,” Alphys replied. “Let's, umm, review the plan again.”

Frisk leaned back in their seat and looked out the window. Their car went onto a road that was already leaving the city. Buildings and houses became replaced by dense forest, and they slowly began to ascend up a hill. Above, the sky was dark and cloudy.

It was eleven PM. One hour before midnight, their planned time of engagement.

“Sans is on his motorbike, and Undyne is in the truck with the soldiers,” Alphys began. “Undyne will w-walk up the hill and confront Killer first. The twelve s-soldiers that we've brought along will follow her, then spread out to surround the hill in a circle. Next, Sans will come and walk up the h-hill from the opposite direction, hiding, and r-ready to attack from behind. There's a grove around the hill, where the two of y-you will be hiding. I'll stay in my c-car and monitor everything with a camera.”

“The soldiers are all armed snipers. If a fight starts, Undyne will g-give the command for them to aim and shoot. However, if she d-does not give the command, they must remain hidden. In the event that...Undyne is incapacitated, or c-cannot give the command, Sans will take over and give the order. Sans has the capability to engage at w-will. You will remain hidden with the s-soldiers until you see the command.”

Alphys sighed. “I really h-hope this works.”

Frisk wanted to say something reassuring, like 'don't worry, Alphys', but they would be lying. This was the most worried that they had felt since confronting Asgore in the underground. And, unlike before, they had no idea whether or not they could even reset. They could feel their heart pounding in their chest, and their palms were sweating. To calm themselves down, they took a deep breath.

Fifteen minutes later, the car arrived at the base of the hill. 

“Be careful,” Alphys said as Frisk and Chara got out of the car. “I w-want the two of you to come back alive. Don't risk your l-lives by doing anything dangerous.”

“I won't,” Frisk replied. Chara didn't say anything.

“Chara. Tell Alphys that you'll be okay.”

Chara averted their eyes. “I'll be okay, Alphys.”

“And you w-won't do anything risky?”

“...I won't do anything risky.”

Sighing, Alphys nodded and closed the car doors.

Frisk looked around. They could hear something something like quick, muffled footsteps around them. It was most likely the other soldiers who were climbing up the hill.

Chara extended out their hand. 

“Let's go, Frisk,” they said.

“All right.”

Frisk took Chara's hand. Keeping their heads low, they began walking up the hill together.

It was cold, and their mood was tense. A chilly wind blew as they walked, shaking the bare branches of trees that grew on the side of the hill. Flecks of snow covered the ground, and their shoes made crunching sounds as they walked upon them. Other than that, the place was silent. Above, large grey clouds loomed, hiding the moon. 

Frisk wore their duffle coat, but they still felt cold. They leaned against Chara as they walked for warmth.

“What are you going to say when you meet them?” Chara whispered.

“I don't know,” Frisk replied. “I'm hoping for them to talk first.”

“...Frisk.” Chara gripped Frisk's hand tightly. “Don't reveal yourself. Let me talk first.”

“Chara, why?”

They looked at Frisk with a concerned expression. “I don't want you to get hurt. I'd rather get hurt myself.”

“I don't want you to get hurt, either!”

Chara looked away. “You don't even have a weapon. If we end up fighting, I'll protect you.”

“You think I'm not armed, either?”

A look of surprise came over Chara's face. Frisk took out, from within their pocket, a worn dagger and also a silver heart locket.

“...Frisk?!”

Frisk tried to muster up a smile. “I try to be prepared, too. Here, you can have the heart locket.”

“That's...that's the one Asriel and I shared,” Chara said, taking the locket.

“Right. It belongs to you.”

A sad smile spread across Chara's lips as they put on the locket. “This feels like old times again.”

“Huh?”

“I wore this locket back then,” Chara said. “Every time I fought with Asriel. Every time we role played together. I always had this locket with me.”

“...That's sweet.”

“Thank you, Frisk.”

“You're welcome.”

Chara opened up the locket, looked at what was written inside, and sighed. Then, they tucked it underneath their jacket.

“Okay. Let's go, Frisk.”

“Right.”

When they reached the top of the hill, the two of them hid behind a tree. Undyne was already there, fully equipped in armour, and wielding a spear and a shield. She stood just metres away from them, at the edge of the field. The field was empty.

Frisk glanced around. They saw the soldiers, too. Some of them were lying in the grass, others hiding behind trees, like them. All of them had their rifles aimed at the field, and were still as statues.

“Look,” Chara whispered suddenly. “Someone's coming.”

Frisk turned back to face the field. The figure of a little human being was walking into it. When they came closer, Frisk held their breath, and they felt their heart pounding again.

It was themselves, wearing that old blue and purple striped sweater. A knife in hand. A wide and malicious grin upon their face. The only thing that was different was their shadow. There was no giant shadow anymore. In fact, there was absolutely nothing behind them. The entire field was dark.

“Who are you?!” Undyne yelled, pointing her spear at the child.

“Oh? What's this?” the child began to say. “I thought I had asked for this world's Frisk. Instead, I get an angry old fish lady.” They chuckled. “You know who I am, Undyne. I'm Frisk.”

“No, you're not,” Undyne said. “You're a Killer. Frisk isn't.”

“Is this one of those timelines where Frisk is a super nice saccharine schtick?” They raised a hand to their chin and giggled. “I should've expected as much. You are back on the surface, after all.”

“Tell me why you're here!” Undyne shouted. “Why did you kill those guards in the basement? Why do you want to see our Frisk?”

“Why? Well, I was going to tell you everything, but it seems like you people in this world have a distinct knack for not following instructions,” Killer said, smiling. “If you don't follow my instructions, why should I do anything you ask me to?”

Undyne's grip on her spear grew tighter. “Don't mess with me, kid.”

“How unfair,” they continued to muse. “So, you want to fight, do you? Well. Let me just say – this won't end well for you, or for anyone in this world, really. If you fight me, you're going to die.”

She raised her spear into the air, ready to charge. “Prepare yourself!”

“Oh. You really do want to fight.” Killer giggled again, and they raised their own knife. “In that case, I'll give you your fight.”

Undyne pointed the tip of her spear forward.

“Calm down, fish lady. I'll fight, I'll fight,” Killer said, smiling gleefully. “I'll fight – that one over there!”

Killer sprinted to their left, away from the field. A bullet whizzed past them, inches away from hitting their face. They ducked behind the trees, and there was a loud cry from a man. Undyne realized what was going on immediately. She spotted where Killer was running to next, and charged at them.

The sniper that Killer was going for stumbled out from behind a tree. He shot a bullet, but Killer dodged it. Killer raised their knife and dashed at him. Undyne arrived just in time to stand in front of the man, taking the blow.

“URGH!” Undyne shouted. A look of pure shock and terror came over her face. Killer's knife had torn through her armour and slashed her from shoulder to waist. Her skin was already beginning to turn to dust. 

Undyne fell to her knees. Her entire body was disintegrating. The man behind her raised his rifle, but, staring into Killer's eyes, he suddenly dropped it. Killer raised their knife again and walked past Undyne. The man looked completely terrified. He took a step backwards and fell to the ground. He tried to crawl away, but Killer was already standing beside him.

Killer raised their knife.

They thrust it down, but a hand grabbed their arm.

“You're going to have try a little harder than that!”

The hand raised Killer up into the air and flung them into the middle of the field. Killer landed with a thud on the ground. Undyne stood up again, raising her spear. Her melting body had somehow solidified again. Her armour was intact. Not a speck of dust was drifting off her skin. 

Streams of blue lightning coursed up her arm and onto the tip of her spear. A flash of light shot out of her bad eye, creating a temporary illusion of her weapon. She walked back onto the field.

Killer smiled. They grabbed their knife and stood up – and was suddenly dropped to the floor by an invisible force.

“Looks like you want to have a bad time,” Sans said, walking out of the grove from the back of the field. A blue flame glowed in his eye. His bony hand was raised. A circle of blue fire surrounded Killer's feet. Even at this distance, Frisk could feel the magical energy that emanated from it.

They had never seen this side of Sans before, but they had felt it. Sans was powerful.

Killer tried to stand up, but they were pinned to the ground by Sans' magic.

“Hey, Sans! I was waiting for you to show up!” Undyne shouted, flashing her giant grin. She raised her spear again, and prepared to charge.

“Sorry I was late,” Sans said. “Well, can't be helped. I think it's time to give our buddy here a thrashing.”

“How nice,” Killer said. “A pincer attack. This'll be more interesting than usual.”

“NGAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Undyne shouted, charging at Killer. 

A wicked smile came over Killer's face. They turned to face Undyne directly, raising their knife. Spear and blade crashed together at once. Sparks of blue shot off the edge of Undyne's weapon. Her grin grew larger. She stepped back. Streaks of blue electricity surrounded the handle of her spear. Killer staggered back as she raised the spear into the air. 

There was an explosion, and then a flash of white. An instant later, a barrage of magical spears came flying down from the air like rain, each pointed at Killer. It was compounded by the appearance of a wave of bones from Sans. Killer spun to face the spears first, but dropped onto their knees as they were pulled down by an invisible force.

Killer laughed.

They dodged by rolling to their left. Each spear and bone crashed to the floor and disappeared in a flurry of sparks. The rest of them changed direction, curving in midair to home onto the new position of their target. But Killer was too fast. They continued rolling, spears and bones crashing to the floor inches away from them. The grass on the field was incinerated, and the ground almost liquefied as dirt blasted into the air. Still, Killer was not hit.

They jumped back onto their feet when Sans momentarily lost concentration. Undyne charged at Killer again. There was another clash of spear and knife, but Killer's strength seemed to overpower her. Killer wielded their knife with both hands and struck Undyne's spear just below the tip, pushing her back. But Undyne was quick to recover her pose, and she returned with a sideway swipe, intending to knock Killer off their balance. Killer jumped back, dodging it barely.

A mass of bones rose out of the ground, surrounding Killer's feet and trapping them like vines. The bone pile rose into the air, bringing Killer along with it. Then, Sans raised his hand, and something materialized beside him. It was shaped like a giant skull, but it had glowing yellow eyes. The mouth of the skull opened. There was a sound like the firing of a cannon, and a tremendous burst of energy shot out of it and towards Killer.

Killer managed to disentangle themselves from the bones just quickly enough to lean over backwards, narrowly avoiding being struck by the core of Sans' attack. However, they ended up falling over as they lost their balance. Sans spread his arms apart, and the bone pile burst, causing Killer to be struck by several of the shards. Blood sprayed onto the floor.

They were still smiling.

Undyne raised her spear. Dozens more magical spears rained down from the air as she charged at Killer again. Killer tried to stand up, but Sans waved his hand, and an invisible force knocked them to the ground face first.

“You're done, kid!” Undyne yelled, standing above them and lifting up her spear.

Killer looked up at her, grinning. As the spear came down towards them, they flipped over and grabbed the handle of the spear with their hands. The magic electricity on the spears' tip singed their face, but the tip did not strike them. Then, with astounding strength, they raised the spear and threw it over them, launching Undyne into the air. She quickly backflipped onto her feet to regain her balance.

Magical spears blasted the area around Killer, filling the ground with craters. Killer stood up again, resisting the power of Sans' magic.

“Kid,” Sans said, walking towards them. The light behind his eye sockets had disappeared, and his tone was murderous. “You won't last against the two of us. You can stop fighting now and leave this timeline, forever.”

“I still don't have what I came for,” Killer replied in a cheerful voice. “Where's Frisk?”

“You won't be seeing them while I'm alive!” Undyne roared.

She charged at Killer again. However, Frisk (who was watching the fight) blinked, and – when their eyes opened – Sans was actually the closer one.

Killer was struck in the back by a bone, and they fell over, coughing out blood. Three blasters appeared right above their heads. Each of their mouths opened. Behind them, a dozen magical spears rained down.

In a surprise movement, Killer threw themselves straight towards the blasters. The blasters were aimed at where they were standing before, and their shots missed them. But Sans was even faster, and he had caught up with Killer again as if he had teleported right next to them. Bones burst out of the ground, trapping Killer within them once more. Another bone shot towards their chest like an arrow.

Killer deflected it with their knife, but – again – Sans had teleported beside them, and jabbed them in the body with a bone. To his surprise, Killer coughed, and then laughed and aimed a kick at Sans in return. Sans hopped backwards, Killer's feet barely missing him. The momentary loss in Sans' concentration caused the bones trapping Killer to crumble to the ground – in time for them to be struck by a flurry of magic spears. Their body was flung through the air, blood flying everywhere.

“You aren't dead yet?!” Undyne yelled as Killer returned to their feet.

Killer turned towards her, raising their knife.

“If you don't give up, I'll have to use my special attack,” Sans warned.

“So use it!” Killer yelled in response.

A duel began between Undyne and Killer. Spear and knife clashed, again and again, and each time there was an explosion of sparks. Then Sans charged into the melee, and Killer turned around, blocking a bone by grabbing it with their own arm. Undyne raised her spear above her head and plunged it down towards them. Killer threw back their head, and – to Undyne's amazement – caught the handle of the spear with their teeth.

Bones rose out of the ground, trapping Killer again. A blaster materialized right above them. But, with their hand still holding the bone that Sans wielded, they launched Sans up into the air and over their head. The blaster's mouth opened, then closed before it fired. Sans tumbled into Undyne, and both of them fell to the ground. Killer spun and laughed, blood dripping from their mouth. Their clothes were completely drenched in red.

“Why aren't you dead?!” Undyne shouted, regaining her pose. “You're not human, are you?”

Without replying, Killer sprinted at her again. Undyne blocked Killer's knife with her spear, then countered with a kick. Killer danced around her and jabbed at her side. Undyne managed to defend herself with the handle of her spear. Two magical spears materialized beside her and flew at Killer. Then, Sans was right behind them, as if he had teleported again.

Spear and bone flew through Killer's body. Even as fountains of blood sprayed out of them, they continued to laugh. They continued to smile.

“Come at me,” Killer said, assuming another offensive stance. “Come and die!”

Sans materialized beside Killer. A flying bone swept at their feet, but they dodged it by jumping up. Another bone shot out of the ground, aiming for their neck. They grabbed it with their hand and held onto the bone, causing them to fly through the air. Spears and blasters and more bones chased after them as they continued flying. Then, Sans was right beside them again. A blaster's shot knocked the bone out of their hand, and they collapsed to the ground. Five more blasters encircled them, each preparing to shoot. Killer ducked, and two shots flew above their head. Then, they threw themselves to the ground and rolled to the right, causing the other three blasters to miss –

Undyne was already there, jamming her spear at them. For some reason, they noticed in time and deflected the tip of her spear with their knife. Then, they kicked at Undyne's feet, somehow using that kick to also propel themselves up and back into a standing position.

“Kid,” Sans said, sweating appearing on his skull, “Keep going like this, and I'll be forced to use my special attack.”

“So use it!” Killer repeated.

Undyne launched herself into another duel with Killer. Sans was also there right away, jabbing at them with bone after bone. Killer deflected every attack with their knife. Undyne spun her spear around and knocked Killer's back with the blunt end of it, pushing them towards Sans. Then, Sans dealt a devastating blow to their chest with the bone in his hand. Blood was flying everywhere. Still, Killer remained standing. On Undyne's next attack, they didn't even turn around, and deflected her spear by raising their knife behind their head.

Sans teleported away. 

“If you don't want to see my special attack, then DON'T survive this,” Sans said.

A column of bones flew towards them. They ducked. The bones stopped in midair, then flew back at them again. Killer flattened themselves onto the ground, and the bones whizzed by. A long bone burrowed out of the ground right below Killer and launched them up into the air. Walls of bones materialized around them. They clung onto the bone as closely as possible until the wall was so narrow that just moving an inch would cause them to get hit. 

The bone vanished, and Killer began to fall. They grabbed a bone and hung onto it in midair. All the others were launched at them. They grabbed one with their feet, and then two with their hands, and hung onto them as they spiralled to the ground. Right before they struck the floor, they threw the bones forward and used the one at their feet to jump, landing back into a stable pose –

And Sans was already there, jabbing at them with a bone. Killer caught it in their hand, but then a pile of bones exploded out of the ground, knocking them over. They balanced themselves with a handstand –

And Sans was right beside them, striking their raised feet with another bone. Killer flew backwards, into a wall of bones that had materialized beside them –

And Sans punched them in the chest with a bone, causing them to fly through this wall –

Sans caught them with a bone in the back, and they lurched forward –

Into a flurry of bones that drilled through their body. The whole field was red with their blood.

An army of blasters materialized around them. Killer laughed and shambled towards the blasters that had appeared last. The ones behind them shot first, barely missing them. Then, they skid to a stop and turned around, running in a circle. Blaster after blaster shot after them, each inches away from striking, but none of them hit. More and more blasters appeared. There were more and more shots. Still, Killer continued running.

Then, they were struck by an invisible force, and their body was flung backwards to the ground, and then to the side, and then flung to the ground face first, and then to the other side, and to the ground backwards again, and to the side again, and face first again, Sans conducting each of these moves with his hand. He repeated this merciless series of attacks, sweat dripping off his skull, striking Killer over and over, and all the while Killer kept laughing and screaming and laughing and screaming until, finally, Sans ran out of breath and –

Undyne was behind them, striking her spear through their chest.

“NOW!” Undyne screamed, raising her hand and giving an OK signal.

A dozen bullets flew out from behind the trees. Killer's body catapulted back and forth as each of the bullets struck them directly – three through their legs, five through their body, and four through their head. Blood burst out from each of these holes. They slid off Undyne's spear.

Undyne backed away and breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the motionless body on the ground.

Sans wiped the sweat off his brow.

“We're...we're done now, aren't we?” Undyne said, breathing heavily.

“They couldn't possibly have survived that,” Sans said.

“Then...it's over?”

“It has to be.”

Undyne leaned against her spear. “They're...finally...dead.”

“Yeah. Whew.” Sans chuckled.

“Does a dead body laugh?”

Both Undyne and Sans froze.

The body on the ground, Killer's body, was moving. It was shuddering. It was twitching. It was trembling. It was raising itself to his feet.

Killer raised their hands up into the air and clapped loudly.

“Im...impossible!” Undyne said, backing away.

“What are you?” Sans whispered.

Killer kept clapping.

Then, they saw.

Something was appearing at their feet. Something was pooling around them, and it wasn't their blood. This thing was twisting, like a snake. It was climbing up their skin. It was black. It was as dark as anything could be.

Killer smiled.

The shadowy substance enveloped their body, covering all of the places where they had been wounded. It kept moving, as if it was water. Then, Killer trembled and shook, and the shadows fell off them, but remained at their feet, a writhing pool of darkness.

Where all of their wounds had been before was now perfect, untarnished skin.

“Congratulations,” Killer said, finishing their clap. “Congratulations, congratulations. I have to give you my applause. I am truly impressed. You've all given me a very good time.”

Their grin widened. “This must be the first competent timeline.”

“What...what the hell are you saying?!” Undyne demanded.

“I'm saying that I'm giving all of you a reward,” Killer replied. “A reward, for providing me more amusement than I've ever gotten from any of you before. It's a simple reward. I'll tell you what you want to know.”

The shadow began to expand outwards in a circle around them. It grew quickly, and soon covered the entire field. It trapped Sans' and Undyne's feet.

“There's not much point in me prolonging this futile battle anymore, is there?” Killer continued. “It was very fun fighting you, but I think it's time for me to show you what you're actually up against.”

“You see, after I had killed everyone in the Underground, I met a certain...somebody. As all of you know, this person's name was Chara. They're a spirit that had become intertwined with my soul after I fell into the underground. They were impressed with my power, impressed with my determination. I had revived them, and strengthened them, and fed them my execution points – my level of violence – my stats.”

“All that was left to do, now, was to figure out what to do with this world. We could destroy it together, and move on to the next. The only question was – how? How could I destroy an entire world, an entire universe? It came to me, then, what I had to do. I realized what my next step was, and I took Chara with me.”

“I dug down, all the way to the Core,” Killer said, laughing. “Yes, yes, Sans. That Core. The Core from which you were born. The Core from which you acquired all your power.”

Sans' near-constant smile turned into a grimace.

“I realized that my body could survive anything,” Killer continued. “It could already withstand all this determination with. What does it matter if I add just a little more...power?” 

They giggled.

“I threw myself into the Core. The magic within it overwhelmed me, but I was able to preserve my consciousness, my individual mind, and my sense of self, through pure determination. Not like that weakling scientist!”

For the first time ever, Sans' smile faltered.

“So, you see, I had all this magic power around me, this infinite pool of energy, and I could control it simply by keeping my existence intact,” Killer said. “I could use this power in any way I wanted. The first thing I did was give my soul – and the person sharing it – a new form. Why don't we take a look? You can come out now, Chara!”

From within the shadow, two huge eyes and a mouth materialized. But they looked ghastly. The eyes and the mouth were red outlines within the pool of black, and they were melting.

Somewhere deep beneath them, they heard a sound like a long, drawn-out laugh.

“Heh hah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...AH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!”

The shadows began to rise. Tendrils of black rose out of the ground, like hands, and began to wrap around Sans' and Undyne's body. Both of them struggled, and tried to break free, but to no avail. Dozens more, and then hundreds of tendrils rose up, and now they were covered entirely in black.

“You understand now,” Killer said, turning away. “This is no normal shadow. It's the embodiment of my soul...the embodiment of Chara.”

“STOP....Stop...stop...st-top...st....top.....” Undyne was saying.

There was a sound like a muffled cry from Sans.

“And it's saturated with determination...” Killer continued. “I used the rest of the power in the Core to send myself back through time. I went to each of the other timelines, killing every living thing there, consuming the essence of every monster that died, absorbing them into my shadow. With all this determination, you could say I've become...a human amalgamate.”

The tendrils that rose out of the shadow began to transform. They began to writhe, and twist, and coil around, until they formed new shapes. There was the face of a Froggit. Goat's horns. Dog's paws. Piles and piles of bones. A seahorse's tail. A miniature volcano. The wings of a little plane. Spider's legs. A magician's hat. A robot's body. Teeth. Eyes. Mouths.

“I destroyed the Frisk of each timeline, so that they couldn't reset,” Killer said, giggling. “Once Frisk was gone, I could cover the entire underground with my shadow. Then, I returned to the Core and moved on to the next world.”

“This is the first world I've visited where everyone's back on the surface. It was interesting. I had to dig tunnels from the Core to get here. Oh, it's been fun. Now, I'm going to consume this entire planet in my shadow.”

“Why?!” Sans shouted, breaking a hand out of the shadows that had covered him. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why?” 

Killer shrugged.

“Why not? I don't see anything else for me to do. And, after all – in this world, it's kill or be killed. All of you have proven yourselves to be weaker than me. There won't be any mercy for you. I'll kill you all and destroy this entire universe. I'll destroy every other timeline, and consume everything, until there's nothing left but my shadow. My soul will be the last, and only thing, to exist. And you can do nothing to stop it.”

Killer threw their head back and laughed.

Every tendril of shadow that covered Sans and Undyne turned into the shape of a knife. They were instantly impaled. The knives parted to reveal Undyne disintegrating into dust, and Sans bleeding profusely, his face finally descended out of his smile. Then, he disappeared into dust as well.

And the shadow continued to grow, spreading across and past the entire field.

* * *

Frisk was shaking so badly that they were nearly convulsing as they watched everything that had happened from behind the trees.

They turned to look at Chara – their own, precious Chara, not that abomination inside Killer's shadow – and saw that their face had become white.

“I can't take this,” Frisk said, gripping their head. “Sorry, Chara. I'm going to reset.”

“Do it!” Chara responded. “Before that shadow gets here.”

Frisk nodded. “Okay!”

They closed their eyes. They had done this so many times before. It was going to work. It had to work. It must work.

Slowly, by the force of their own determination, the world was starting to fade away. Reality around them was disappearing, sliding further away, like how things sometimes felt when they were near falling asleep. They would reset back as far in time as possible – far enough for them to save everybody, at least. Far enough to stop Killer. 

Frisk opened their eyes again, and they found themselves falling through a tunnel of darkness.

Suddenly, they slammed into something behind them.

They turned around and was greeted with an enormous cluster of writhing, shadowy limbs.

“Not so fast,” a voice was saying. Killer's voice. It rang out all around them, echoing across the entire tunnel. “You can't reset, Frisk. I'm here in your world, now. I have more determination than you. And you can't stop me.”

Frisk threw their own body against the shadow, but bounced back as if they had struck a wall.

“Oh. That's amusing. You think you can resist. You think you can overcome me. That's silly. You can't stop me, no matter what you do. Just give up.”

Frisk launched themselves against the shadow again. They bounced back again. They gripped the wall and pounded their fists against it. They kicked it with all their strength. They opened their mouth and screamed –

Suddenly, they saw someone coming. Running towards them. It was Chara. Their Chara.

“Frisk!” Chara yelled. “Use my determination!”

“You can reset, too, Chara?”

“Yes! We're sharing the same soul, right? You have all my determination with you! Let's do this together. Let's go back.”

Frisk grabbed Chara's hand. Together, they dashed towards the wall.

The shadow gave away. They blasted through it, and began falling through the tunnel again. It was the tunnel of time. They closed their eyes, and waited. Waited to see how far they could go, how far back they would end up...

They opened their eyes.

They were in the room on campus again. Undyne, Alphys, and Sans were with them.

“We evacuated your room,” Alphys said. “Asriel and all of your b-belongings have been moved to a safe site on campus.”

Frisk gasped, realizing that this was as far back as they could go. 

“I'm back,” Frisk whispered. 

Alphys raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Chara was standing beside them, holding their hand. Frisk gulped.

“We went and fought Killer,” Chara explained. “And...we all lost.”


	25. Reprieve

The room was silent when Frisk and Chara had finished explaining what had happened during their engagement with Killer.

“Welp. Looks like we're doomed,” Sans said, putting his hands into his pockets. He leaned back against the wall and grinned.

“You're giving up already?!” Undyne yelled, stomping.

“You heard them,” Sans replied. “Killer's in a different league than us. We can't do anything to stop them. They're simply too powerful.”

“But, Sans!” Alphys said, rushing towards him. “How c-could you lose hope so easily?”

“What can I say?” Sans shrugged. “We're completely...boned.”

Everyone groaned.

“In all seriousness, though,” Sans continued, “let's call off this engagement. If we show up again, then Killer's going to, well...kill us, and then Frisk and Chara will have to reset again.”

“So, what do we do?” Undyne demanded. “Sit around and wait for them to come to US?”

“Actually, that might not be such a bad idea,” Sans said. His grin grew wider. “The 'sit around and do nothing' part, I mean.”

“Why's that?” Alphys asked.

“Think about it,” Sans said, taking his hands out of his pockets. “The situation's terrible, but at least Frisk and Chara were able to reset out of it. During their reset, they were confronted by Killer, which means that Killer must be aware of their resets, which also means that Killer must be aware that their reset succeeded. In other words, while we lost that engagement...we actually won the battle of the resets.”

“Won't that just make Killer angrier?” Undyne said.

“Wait. Sans has a point,” Frisk spoke up. “If Killer is aware that Chara and I can use our combined determination to reset every time they beat us, then there's no reason for them to fight us again.”

“You sound so confident,” Chara whispered. “What if we can't reset the next time we try?”

Frisk tried to smile confidently. “We succeeded the first time. We can do it again.”

“Still...”

“Well. If we do nothing, then Killer has two options,” Sans said. “Either they confront us here and attempt to kill us again – in which case, we'll just reset out of it – or, they leave us alone, and hopefully, they never come back to this timeline.”

“That s-sounds rather optimistic,” Alphys said. “They could do other things – like try to break Frisk's and Chara's determination.”

“They could try,” Sans said. “But I'm rooting for Frisk. Our kid here won't give up.”

Frisk blushed. 

“...Right,” Alphys said, brightening up. “In a way, we win by r-retaining the ability to reset!”

“Uh, not exactly,” Undyne responded. “Where's the part where we DESTROY them?”

“Oh, tr-true.”

“I'll leave that for you to figure out,” Sans said, turning towards the exit of the room. He walked to the door. “I'm done for today. Even though I haven't really done anything.”

Undyne twitched. “...ARE YOU SERIOUS?”

“Sans,” Frisk said. “You...you're actually really powerful, aren't you?”

Sans turned his head around and winked. “See ya, kid.”

“I d-don't think he's actually going to do nothing,” Alphys said once Sans had left the room. “Sans works on h-his own time. He's probably looking for ways to protect this t-timeline right now!”

“So...are we just going to do what he's telling us to do?” Chara asked in a flustered tone. “Sit around and wait?”

“That does seem r-rather fruitless,” Alphys said, lowering her eyes. “Still, the two of you look tired right now. I'll g-go search for ways to counter Killer's shadow! You should rest and recover your strength.”

Chara didn't look convinced. “Killer could attack us while we're sleeping.”

“We'll keep watch,” Undyne said, smiling. “Alphys' right. The two of you are our only capability to resist Killer. We need you to be well-rested.” 

“Thank you,” Frisk said, rubbing their eyes. “Let's take a nap, Chara. I'm exhausted.”

“...I suppose.”

“We'll drive you to the dormitories,” Alphys said. “None of the r-rooms are being used by students right now, so you can sleep there.”

“What? We're going to be sleeping where the students were sleeping?” Chara asked.

“The laboratory is a m-mess,” Alphys replied. “You...probably don't want to go there right now.”

“Fine.”

They went out to their taxi, and their chauffeur drove them to the campus dormitories. 

It was a series of old brick buildings that were much less fancy than their laboratory apartment. The rooms inside were fine, if not a bit small. Frisk and Chara chose a room with a twin sized bed.

“Well...enjoy,” Alphys said, chuckling. Her eyes darted back and forth between Frisk and Chara. She started to giggle.

“Alphys?” Frisk asked.

“I'll...I'll leave you alone now.”

Frisk plopped down onto the bed as Alphys closed the door. Their eyes felt weary, and they blinked several times. Chara shut off the lights and walked towards them. They stood in front of Frisk, who lay on the bed with their legs over the edge and feet hanging above the floor.

“This is a disaster,” Chara whispered.

“...I know.”

“Aren't you worried?”

“I am.”

“So how can you sleep?”

Frisk pulled themselves onto the bed fully. “I try not to think about it. If I worry too much, it isn't going to help. The best thing I could do for myself right now – and for everyone else – is to get some rest.” They sighed. “I know it sounds selfish. But it's better than panicking.”

Chara seemed to be trying to smile. “You're always so self-assured.”

“I'm not,” Frisk said. “When I was trying to reset, and I was stuck in that tunnel, I nearly...lost hope. The truth is, I only found my determination again when I saw you coming.”

The blush on Chara's face resurfaced. They climbed onto the bed and leaned over Frisk.

“Thanks, but still. The way you sounded just now – it made you seem confident.”

“I'm just trying to make us feel better.”

Chara leaned their face closer to Frisk's. “You're too honest.”

“Umm...”

“Frisk.” Chara placed their head down beside Frisk's and tucked themselves under the blanket. “What if we fail?”

“We won't.”

“You don't know that for sure.”

“You're right.”

“So...aren't you scared?”

Frisk stared at the ceiling, unblinking. It was true that losing to Killer, and being unable to reset, would be absolutely frightening. The thought of it was enough to make them feel anxious. 

“I am,” Frisk replied.

“You don't seem scared.”

They turned their head over to face Chara, who was staring at them with wide eyes. Chara looked cute when they were scared. It was such an unusual expression on their face. Like when they blushed, they had a quivering frown, and their eyes were always darting away.

“I guess I'm good at hiding it,” Frisk said with a half-hearted laugh. 

“Frisk...”

“Yeah?”

Chara's lips trembled. “I can't stand it.”

“Do you...want me to give you a hug?”

“...Yes.”

Frisk wrapped an arm around Chara's shoulder and pulled them close. Chara had been trembling a little, but stopped once Frisk embraced them. Frisk began to stroke Chara softly on the head, patting them, and Chara giggled. Chara raised their fingers and gently brushed away locks of Frisk's hair. Their touch was comforting. Staring into Chara's eyes, Frisk leaned closer, until their noses and lips touched, bringing about a sense of close, loving affection.

“...Kiss?” Chara asked.

“Not tonight. I'm too tired.”

“I just want to have a quick kiss.”

“All right.”

Chara began the kiss. Their soft lips were irresistible, and Frisk kissed back. The warmth that came from Chara's closeness was soothing. Frisk held them tighter. They needed this warmth, and they loved the feeling of intimacy that came with kissing. A feeling of tenderness. 

It lasted for longer than they had originally intended, and when Chara pulled away, Frisk felt a wave of fatigue. However, they didn't want to let go. It was comforting to have someone so warm in their embrace.

“...Frisk?”

“You're warm,” Frisk said, gently nuzzling against Chara's face. “I still want to use you as a blanket.”

“Uh...”

“A Chara-blanket.”

Chara was blushing again. “Sure.”

“Just for tonight.”

Hugging Chara, Frisk breathed deeply, and the tension in their mind unwound. They started to finally feel relaxed again.

“By the way.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you naturally smell like a buttercup?”

“...What?!”

Frisk giggled. “Just wondering. Your hair always has the smell. I mean, I like it – I'm just curious about how it got that smell...”

Chara narrowed their eyes. “Maybe because that's what killed me.”

“Ummm, sorry –“

“No, it's all right.” Chara rolled their eyes. “Really. That's just a weird question to ask.”

To Frisk's amusement, Chara grabbed a tuft of their own hair and sniffed it.

“I don't smell anything.”

“Forget about i-”

“No, wait, I do smell some buttercups,” Chara said. “Huh. Maybe their scent got ingrained in my...essence after I died.”

“Well,” Frisk said, laying their head against Chara's, “You do smell nice.”

“Are you happy I have it?”

“Ah...”

Chara smiled. “Don't worry, Frisk. I'm not going to become sad just because you bring up what happened in my past. If it makes you happy that I smell like this, then I'm happy that I came back with this scent!” 

Now, Frisk was the one who was completely red.

“Just...”

“Yeah?”

“Just be my Chara-blanket for tonight.”

They leaned in closer and hugged Chara tightly. If they could spend the whole night like this, then they would. They just wanted to have this warm and adorable person in their arms forever.

* * *

Frisk heard a knock on the door of their room. They opened one eye and saw light streaming through the window. A voice was saying something, but they couldn't hear them clearly. Moments later, the door opened. Sans strolled in, grinning. He froze when he saw Frisk and Chara in the bed together. Without saying a word, he walked out backwards.

“Wait!” Frisk called, pushing the Chara-blanket off their body and jumping out of bed. Chara groaned and buried their head into their pillow.

“Sorry, kid,” Sans said from behind the door. “Should've waited for you to get up before coming in.”

“It's okay,” Frisk replied. “Is it urgent?”

“Kind of. We need to drive you back to campus. Alphys and I have news.”

Frisk turned towards Chara. They shook Chara on the shoulder, and Chara sat up. Chara rubbed their eyes lazily, then faced Frisk with a barely disguised frown.

“Can't I sleep a bit more?”

“Sans says we need to get going,” Frisk replied. “You can sleep on the drive there.”

“That's not much more sleep.”

“Come on.”

“Plus, I'll probably feel awake once I'm in the car.”

“Take your time,” Sans said, taking out a cell phone. “I'll give Alphys a call and tell her that you two just woke up. When you're ready to leave, meet me outside the building entrance.”

“Okay,” Frisk responded. “Thanks, Sans.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Chara said groggily. 

Frisk helped Chara to get dressed in their favourite green and yellow striped sweater (for some reason, even after all these years, it still fit their size). For themselves, they wore a blue hoodie and black jeans. Afterward, they went into the dormitory's public bathroom to brush their teeth, wash their face, and comb their hair. 

Chara came in and stood at the sink beside them. They glanced at Frisk and burst into mild giggles.

“What?”

“Your hair,” Chara said, pointing at Frisk's head. “Look.”

Frisk stared into the mirror.

They thought that they had combed it already, but a few strands of their hair were still sticking up. It refused to go back down even when they used their hand to squash it. Next, they wet their comb with water and tried combing their hair again. The strands still refused to be flattened. Sighing, Frisk cupped water into their hands and splashed it over their head. With their hair wet, they were finally able to squash those strands.

“Awww,” Chara said, “You kind of looked cute with your hair sticking up like that.”

“I'd rather be neat.”

When they were done, they walked to the exit of the building and found Sans waiting for them by a car. The same chauffeur as last night was driving it. As usual, they sat in the back seat.

“Feeling all right?” Sans asked as the driver started their car.

“Yeah,” Frisk replied. “Why?”

“I hope you've got a good night's sleep. If Killer attacks again, and we fail to fend them off, we'll need you to use your determination to reset.”

“...I know.”

“Well, I could sleep a bit more,” Chara said, leaning their head back against the top of their car seat. They yawned, then closed their eyes.

“How are you doing, Chara?” Sans asked.

Chara seemed surprised that Sans would ask them that. They were speechless for a while. Then, they looked away. “I'm fine.”

“That's good.”

Frisk smiled at Chara. “See? Sans cares about you.”

“Well...thank you, Sans,” Chara said to him. 

“Don't mention it.”

While they were being driven back onto campus, Frisk found themselves feeling nervous again. Looking out the car window and seeing everything in the city as it normally should be, everything that had happened last night felt like a dream. The battle, Killer's shadow, the wall of darkness that had prevented them from resetting by themselves – it all seemed too surreal. Yet, they knew that it couldn't possibly have been a dream. They had fought Killer, and they had lost, and Killer had used their own soul to kill both Sans and Undyne.

It was a sight that had become etched into their mind: Undyne and Sans' dead, disintegrating bodies. They would never forget it. They would never forget what Killer had done.

When their car arrived on campus, they walked back into the meeting room that they had been in last night. Alphys and Undyne were there again.

“Good m-morning, Frisk and Chara,” Alphys said, waving at them.

“Hey! How are you two?” Undyne shouted.

Frisk nodded at both of them. “Good morning. I'm fine, Undyne.”

“Chara?”

“I'm...sleepy,” Chara replied, grabbing their arm. “Don't mind me.”

“If y-you aren't feeling well, you should tell us,” Alphys said to Chara. 

“It's okay. I normally feel sleepy when I wake up in the morning.”

“Anyways, let's recap over what we did last night,” Sans said, stepping towards the middle of the room. “Alphys?”

“You go f-first,” Alphys responded.

Sans shrugged.

“I contacted the country's government and told them about Killer,” he began. “It took some time for me to convince them, but they started to believe me after I showed them our data with the corrupted timelines and the twelve dead guards from our laboratory basement.”

Frisk grew disheartened. They wished they could have reset back further to save them.

“Anyways, the government contacted their military leaders, who have agreed to cooperate fully.” Sans winked, and his smile grew larger. “Guess what? We may actually have an advantage now.”

“How?” Frisk asked.

“We gave the military our codes to detect Killer's signal,” Sans said. “They have more determination than you alone, Frisk – though not as much as you and Chara combined – which means their individual signal is the most easily detectable in our world right now. With this signal, we can track their location and activities anywhere they go, though it does take a bit of filtering.” 

“Filtering?”

“Yeah. Humans are chock full of determination, so even Killer's signal sometimes blends in with the others around them. We have to run a program to ascertain their precise coordinates every few minutes or so.”

“But th-that's not your concern,” Alphys spoke up. 

“In any case, the military is now on high alert,” Sans continued. “If Killer does anything drastic, we'll know what, and we'll respond appropriately.”

The light behind Sans' eyes dimmed.

“In the worst case – that is, Killer unleashes their shadow and tries to consume the world – we'll have every nuclear weapon in the country's arsenal pointed at them. We'll make an effort to evacuate the people in the surrounding area, provided that they haven't all died already, and then we'll strike.”

“Nuclear...weapons?” Frisk said. “Those are extremely dangerous, aren't they? I read that the fallout from detonating enough nuclear bombs at once could kill every person on the planet.”

“It could,” Sans replied, shaking his head. “But it's better than letting everything be consumed by Killer's soul, don't you think?”

“...I see.”

“There's just one thing,” Alphys said. “Just a f-few hours earlier, we actually...lost Killer's signal, and we haven't been able to r-recover it.”

“What?!”

“But, we think we know why!” Alphys responded. “Killer left the h-hill and went back to the laboratory early this morning. We had to interrupt our s-signal to do some filtering, and then they were gone. I think the m-most likely conclusion is that they went back into the tunnels.”

“Why?” Chara asked.

“Remember, Killer knows that the two of you have enough determination to still reset,” Sans said. “Maybe they gave up on destroying this world and decided to go bother some other timeline.”

“Killer? Giving up?” Undyne said. “I bet they'll come back. They're probably just taking a break.”

“Our evidence that they've left is...unfortunate,” Alphys continued. “I checked the n-number of timelines we have left again a couple of minutes ago. It's d-decreased again.”

Frisk shuddered. They hated the thought of Killer leaving them alone, only to go and destroy some other world.

“Well, if Killer comes back, we'll be prepared,” Sans said. “And, unless they find some way to get even more determination, we'll still have the upper hand on resets in this world.”

“So what do we do now?” Chara asked.

“I'll be r-researching souls, and determination, and see if we can s-somehow destroy Killer's shadow,” Alphys replied. 

“And I'll help!” Undyne exclaimed, giving Alphys a nudge.

Everyone turned to face Sans.

“Me? I'm just going to take a break,” he replied. “Welp. See ya.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?” Undyne yelled.

“Wait! Sans!” Alphys said. “Remember the other th-thing that we discussed?”

“Oh, right.”

Sans turned to face Frisk and Chara.

“It's too dangerous to take you back to the laboratory,” he began. “Killer could show up from the tunnels at any moment, and we don't want you two to be so close to that place. So, we've decided to let you crash somewhere else for a while.”

“Another home?!” Chara said in an exasperated tone. “Where are we going this time?”

“He's g-got places,” Alphys replied.

“Yeah.” Sans winked. “Follow me. I know a shortcut.”

* * *

“THIS is our new home?”

Compared to the laboratory apartment, this one looked like it came out of a dump. It was a small low rise building, with stairs on the outside. They had climbed up to the second floor, where a balcony walkway took them in front of their door. Inside, there was a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and a bed right in the middle of it.

“Hey. I'm not a rich skeleton,” Sans replied, shrugging. “Plus, I moved all your stuff in for free. Normally, I'd charge.” 

“Why this place, though?” Frisk asked.

“It's in an old and denser part of the city,” Sans said. “Lots of people live here, so it'll be hard for Killer to find you if they try. I hope you like, uh, crowds.”

“I don't,” Chara replied in an angry voice.

Sans shrugged again.

Frisk began to unpack their belongings. Asriel was already in his flower pot on the table.

“But there's another reason,” Sans said. “There's someone here who I'd like you to find. It could help you to meet them.”

“Who are they?” Frisk asked.

Sans shook his head. “I can't say. But you'll know them when you find them.”

“Could you be just a little less vague?” Chara asked in a sarcastic tone.

Sans' smile grew larger. “Welp. That's all the work I feel like doing for today. Call me up if you need some help. I'm leaving.”

There was a flash of light, and then Sans was gone.

Chara sighed loudly. They got out their laptop and placed it on the desk.

“I'm going to set up the wifi,” Chara said.

“Of course that's what you're going to do first,” Asriel said, his face reappearing upon the flower. “The world might be in mortal danger, but what does it matter if you don't have your wifi?”

“Shut up,” Chara replied, though they smiled and patted Asriel (a flower petal).

Frisk took off their jacket and jumped onto the bed.

“Well,” they said, facing Asriel, “looks like we don't even have a bedroom in this place.”

Chara started to blush.

Asriel groaned.

“If you and Chara are going to make out, just kindly move me into the bathroom.”


	26. Responsibilities

“Where are your socks, Chara?!”

Chara was sitting at their desk and playing computer games as usual. Frisk stood beside them with a full laundry basket in hand. They stared at Chara unblinkingly, with a less than pleased expression.

“On my feet.”

“Well, take them off and throw them in my basket,” Frisk said, groaning. “I'm going to do laundry.”

“Wait a minute. Or five.”

Frustrated, Frisk gazed over Chara's shoulder at their laptop screen to see what was keeping them so busy. They were playing a rage platformer, one of those games where half the pixels on the screens were spikes and the player character exploded into a shower of pixelated blood every five seconds. Frisk never understood the point of these games. They were tedious and produced nothing but anger.

“Give them to me now,” Frisk said in a lower, more ominous voice.

Chara didn't even glance at them.

“Do I have to be your mother? Move your feet out from under the desk. I'll take your socks if you aren't going to hand me them.”

“Wow,” Asriel said, making an obnoxious stink face on the flower. “Mother AND lover? This is becoming quite the kinky househo-”

“Quit it,” Frisk interrupted, even though this was almost exactly what had happened between them and Toriel. Their flirting back then, however, hadn't really been serious.

“Just give me a sec, Frisk.”

“I gave you three hundred 'secs' five minute ago. Also, where's that sweater you wore last week?”

“What sweater?”

Frisk felt their patience wearing thin. “The green one. With the yellow stripe. You said you'd find it and put it in my laundry basket by noon.”

“Oh, yeah. I did?”

“Yes. You did,” Frisk replied, pointing at the clock on the wall. It was currently 3 PM. “So, where is it?”

“I couldn't find it,” Chara said, their tone growing irritated as well. “Can't you leave me alone for just ten minutes, Frisk? I have to beat this level.”

“You've been stuck on it for five days!”

“Exactly!” Chara gestured with their hands at the monitor screen. “But I'm so close! I promise, once I beat it, I'll find you that sweater.”

“When Chara says ten minutes, what they actually mean is two hours,” Asriel spoke up, giggling in his strange flower way. 

“Shut up, Asriel,” Chara snapped back.

“Maybe if you were better at video games, you'd have gotten this done faster,” Asriel continued. He smiled mischievously. “I know where you keep dying, Chara. Honestly, that jump looks sooooo easy! If I had fingers, I'd have beaten that level ages ago!”

“You want to go?” Chara said, spinning around in their seat to face Asriel.

“What? You're going to fight me? A flower?”

“No, I'll make you play this level, and see how you like it!”

Asriel howled with laughter. “I know you don't like to fight fair, Chara, but not even I'm going to fall for that. How am I going to play anything without fingers?”

“You can use your leaves!”

“Break it up!” Frisk shouted, walking in between the two of them. “Honestly, how old are the two of you? Stop fighting over a stupid game.”

“Well, I'm eleven, and Asriel's ten years ol–“

“That's not the point!” Frisk replied. “The point is, I need your dirty clothes, and I need them NOW. Chara, give me your socks.”

“Hold on,” Chara said, spinning back around to face their monitor screen. “I need to show Asriel that I can and I WILL MAKE THAT JUMP!”

“Seriously?!” Frisk felt their temper rising, even though usually almost nothing made them angry. Nothing, except for a particularly aggravating Chara. “Your feet were already right in front of me before you moved them back under the desk!”

“Should've snatched them while you had the chance!” Asriel said, chuckling.

“I'm not going to touch their dirty feet, Asriel.”

“My feet aren't dirty,” Chara said in an indignant tone. “I haven't even gone out in a week!”

“Chara, that makes no sense.”

“Plus, the smell coming from them says otherwise!” Asriel declared, grinning.

Chara spun their chair back around with a murderous expression on their face. “Asriel. If you don't shut up right now, I'm going to rip you out of your pot and throw you out the window!”

“Wow. Solving things with violence again, Chara? You haven't changed a bit!”

“I told you to shut up!”

“I still need those socks, Chara!”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” Chara yelled, spinning back to face their laptop screen.

Frisk had had enough. They walked towards Chara and placed their laundry basket down on the table. Then, they leaned over the laptop keyboard and pressed their finger down on the power button, holding it.

“NO!” Chara screamed.

They grabbed Frisk's arm with both hands and shoved them away. A little too hard. Frisk stumbled back and fell against the desk, hitting their side. Their feet tripped and they crashed their head against the wall, which caused them to fall onto the ground.

For a moment, as Frisk tried to sit back up, everyone in the room was silent. A near-enraged expression grew upon Frisk's face.

“Oh my g-Frisk, I'm so sorry!” Chara shouted. “I'm so, so, sorry! Frisk, I didn't mean to do that! It was an accident!”

Frisk returned to their feet, rubbing their head. That fall had been painful. They stared down at Chara with their eyes narrowed. “Why did you shove me like that?”

“I'M SO SORRY!” Chara said, burying their face in their hands. “I didn't mean to hit you, Frisk! It was a mistake! I'm so careless, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'M SORRY!”

Seeing Chara so distressed calmed Frisk down quite quickly. The pain on their head was subsiding. They opened their mouth to say –

“I'M SORRY!” Chara yelled, gripping the skin of their face with their fingers. “Please don't hate me, Frisk! I said I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I was so stupid! I'm so sorry! I'M SO SORRY!”

“Chara,” Asriel spoke up. “We know it was an acci-”

“FRISK, I'M SORRY! DON'T HATE ME, PLEASE! DON'T HIT ME! I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I-”

Frisk rushed to Chara's side. They wrapped their arms around Chara and hugged them tightly. Chara was trembling and crying and saying incomprehensible things, and Frisk held them with all their strength. It broke their heart to see Chara crying like this. They felt guilty, and wished that they hadn't made such an angry face (or tried to shut off Chara's laptop in the first place). At the time, it had seemed such an insignificant thing to do.

Chara cried for a minute while Frisk held them, before finally starting to calm down. Gradually, they stopped trembling and crying, and then became silent. Frisk didn't let go. They wanted Chara to know that they loved them. They wanted Chara to feel safe. Gently, they placed their head against Chara's shoulder and let Chara lean against them. 

For some time, Chara was still and sat there, sniffing. Then, they placed their hands around Frisk's back and hugged them. Chara lowered their head into Frisk's arms and made a sound like a muffled cry.

“I'm so sorry, Frisk. I'm so, so sorry...”

“Chara, it's okay,” Frisk said, recognizing that Chara was now out of their episode. “Everything's okay.”

“I'm so sorry...for acting like that...”

Frisk moved their hands over Chara's back and caressed them softly.

“I d-didn't mean to...I didn't mean to get so worked up...”

“I know you didn't,” Frisk whispered. “But, it's okay.”

“...You keep saying that, Frisk...”

“I mean it.”

“Frisk...”

“Chara, we all love you,” Frisk said in a quiet and reassuring voice. “Nothing you do will ever change that. So, don't worry.”

“But, Frisk...I sh-shouldn't have...I shouldn't, it's just so embarrassing...”

“It's all right. You've been through so much.”

“But...”

“Chara,” Asriel spoke up. He wore a crestfallen expression on his face, with eyes that were full of remorse. “Frisk and I are here for you. I'm sorry for arguing with you earlier. But, really, we both love you, and we want you to feel safe and happy when you're with us, okay?”

“Asriel, you-”

“I mean it!” Asriel continued. “I love you, Chara! Even though I don't have a soul, I can at least remember how it feels to love! I'll always be your brother!”

Chara buried their face into Frisk's shoulder and began crying again.

“There, there,” Frisk said, patting Chara on the back again.

Frisk held Chara in their arms, holding them and being there for them for as long as they needed it. This time, Chara cried for two or three minutes. Tears streamed down their cheeks and fell onto Frisk's sweater. They were shuddering and whimpering. Frisk embraced them as tightly as they could.

Eventually, their tears stopped, and their crying turned into light sobs which slowly faded. They were sniffing again. When they looked back up at Frisk, their eyes were almost completely red. 

“Chara...”

“...Yeah?”

“It's going to be okay.”

“I'm...I'm fine, now,” Chara said, shaking their head. “I'm...fine, Frisk.”

“If you need to cry more-”

“No, Frisk. I'm...fine, really.” Chara looked into Frisk's eyes and mustered up a sad smile. “Thank you...”

“I'll always be here for you when you need me.”

“Yeah, me too!” Asriel said.

Chara looked back at forth at both of them. Another tear streamed down their cheek, but they attempted to smile again. It was a genuine smile, now.

“You two...thank you, so much.”

Frisk smiled in response. They found Chara's fully red eyes pretty, but refrained from mentioning it at the current moment.

“I'm sorr-”

“No need to say that!” Asriel interrupted them. “You don't have to say it so many times. We're your family, Chara. We can take anything from you, and we'll still love you!”

“Yeah,” Frisk added, blushing. “I'm...your family, too – right?”

Chara was speechless. After a moment where they looked like they were deliberating what to say, they simply stepped towards Frisk and hugged them again.

Frisk grabbed Asriel's pot and added them to the hug, which was a bit awkward. But, seeing Frisk's effort, Chara giggled and smiled again.

* * *

After their clothes were washed, Frisk began hanging them up on a clothesline by the window. They were surprised when Chara stood up, started picking out the wet clothes out from the basket, putting them on the cloth hangers, and hooking the hangers onto the clothesline.

“Thanks, Chara,” Frisk said, smiling warmly at them. “I can do this by myself, though.”

“I want to feel useful,” Chara replied. “You're right, Frisk. You've been doing every chore around the house ever since we started living alone. I've been completely useless.”

“That's not true!” Frisk took out Chara's green and yellow sweater, noting that it was starting to become a little faded – the green was mixing in with the yellow. “You helped me make dinner and wash the dishes a couple of times.”

“Yeah, but that was only after you told me to.”

“...Well, thanks for helping me now, Chara.”

Chara blushed. “I wouldn't mind if you gave me a few more responsibilities.”

That was surprising to hear. “Huh?”

“Let me do some of the chores?”

Frisk thought about what Chara could help them with, but found that there really weren't that many things for them to do. They already felt comfortable doing most of the chores by themselves. “You could, I guess, take out the garbage every once in a while.”

“Okay.”

“And just make sure you don't leave your clothes lying around on the floor.”

“'Kay. What about washing the dishes?”

Frisk was very vigilant about the cleanliness of their sink. They were used to cleaning their dishes, pots, and pans immediately after eating, a habit that they had picked up from travelling on their journeys. “No, it's fine. I can handle the dishes by myself?”

“Cooking, then?”

“I could teach you to cook.”

Chara nodded. “Oh, and I could vacuum the floor, too!”

“...You're taking away all my chores now, Chara!”

“I just want to help!”

Frisk giggled. They liked that Chara was becoming more and more responsible. It was just that they didn't mind doing all of these chores by themselves. Right now, every day was just waiting for news from Sans or Alphys about their progress on their research. Neither of them had discovered anything, and their reports were little more than a foreboding mention of the still steadily decreasing number of timelines. They were down to only two thousand now.

It was disturbing to think about. Somewhere, in other universes, thousands of Frisks were disappearing. Thousands of undergrounds were being cleared, up to millions were dying, and they could do nothing to stop it.

Aside from that, Frisk spent their time reading the books that they had checked out from the campus library, exploring the neighbourhood, and...cuddling with Chara. They really felt that they ought to be more worried, but the reality was that they couldn't do anything about it.

“You haven't gone out in a while,” Frisk mentioned as they hung up their last piece of clothing.

“There's so many people outside,” Chara replied.

“But if you stay in all day, you'll just end up feeling tired all the time.”

“Do I have to?”

“Let's go out for a walk,” Frisk offered, smiling. “You can get some exercise.”

“...Fine.”

It was cold outside. For the past few days, snow had been falling heavily, and now the streets were completely white. Frisk and Chara put on their boots, jackets, mittens, and scarves. 

The city streets were filled with festive decorations in preparation for the New Years'. It reminded Frisk of Snowdin, only a lot bigger. Everywhere they went, they saw strings of bright lights hung up upon trees and buildings, beaming a rainbow of colours. There were glowing statues and sculptures at the corner of every street. Colourful lanterns hung around the porches of several houses and apartments. Shops advertised with massive, flashing posters.

Their neighbourhood was a good distance from the city downtown, but even here, the streets were teeming with people, and the crowds at the entrance of shops were often enormous.

It filled Frisk with both happiness as well as sadness to see everything like this. New Years' was a festive time, and people deserved to celebrate – but no one knew the danger that had come to this and every other world. A danger that could take away everything. Only they and their friends and a select few other humans carried the burden of knowing. While everyone else was happy, they lived in constant doubt.

No, they had to keep these thoughts out of their head. The survival of this timeline depended on their ability to keep up their optimism and to preserve their determination. They had to be confident. They couldn't let fear and anxiety take over.

“Chara,” Frisk spoke up, partly in an attempt to distract themselves, “want to go shopping?”

“Where?”

Frisk glanced around at all the stores on the streets. One of them caught their eye. 

“How about that one?” Frisk asked, pointing to it.

The stores' name was 'Blook's Pet House'.

“A pet house?”

“I think I know the person that owns it,” Frisk said cheerfully. “Let's pay them a visit.” 

They crossed the street and entered this store. It was a pet house all right. There were smells inside of all kinds of different animals. Looking around, Frisk saw cats and dogs (not of the monster type, which were sentient) and hamsters and rabbits and a variety of different birds. Beside the entrance was an aquarium filled with colourful fish, and near that was a pen full of...snails? There were also a few more...interesting animals, like insects and snakes (Chara stayed far away from those).

As they expected, standing behind the counter at the back of the shop was a transparent white ghost.

“Oh...hey...” Napstablook greeted them. “It's you...long time no see...”

“Hi, Napstablook!” Frisk said, grinning. “How's things been going?”

“Well...after the barrier went down, I went to check out the surface. It was...nice...I guess...and I joined Mettaton's band for a while...but then he got so popular they offered him a career as an actor...so our band disbanded.”

Frisk's smile faded. “Oh.”

“I tried to restart my snail farm business...” Napstablook continued. “...But, there were lots of interesting animals on the surface, and no one...wanted to buy or visit snails all the time...so I expanded my business into a general pet shop. Ummm...Shyren suggested it...”

Napstablook glanced at Chara, who was standing behind Frisk. “Oh...you have a new friend there...”

“Hi?” Chara said, walking shyly up to them. “My name's Chara.”

“I'm...Napstablook, if you care...” Napstablook replied, extending out a ghostly hand. Chara reached out to shake it, but their hand passed through.

“Oh...” Napstablook said. “Sorry...I'm ethereal and all...”

Chara tried to smile and be polite. “It's okay. Nice to meet you, Napstabloke-uh, Naptasblook-ummm, Nastapblook-uh...”

“...just Blooky is fine...”

A blush came over Chara's face. “Nice to meet you, Blooky.”

“Well...feel free to check out my store...if you want...no pressure or anything...”

“Okay.”

“Everything is on sale...for the new years'...you know...”

Frisk started going around, looking at all of the different pets that were on sale. They felt Chara pulling on their arm.

“That ghost...looks kind of depressed,” Chara whispered. “Maybe we should buy something to cheer them up.”

“I was thinking that, too.”

“But they only sell pets.”

A thoughtful expression came over Frisk's face. “We can buy something that doesn't require too much work to take care of.”

“Like what?”

Frisk glanced around the store. “Well, nothing like a cat or a dog. Maybe something Asriel could play with?”

Chara crossed their arms. “Would that really be a good idea?”

“...Hey. If you want more responsibilities, maybe you could get a pet to learn to take care of,” Frisk said, scratching their head and smiling. “Doesn't that sound like fun?”

To their surprise, Chara looked like they were considering the idea. After spending a moment deliberating, they said, “Okay. But only if we find something I like.”

“Sure.”

For the next half hour, they browsed the store, looking over all the animals as Chara tried to find something that suited them. Insects, reptiles, and snakes were out of the question, but many of the cute, fluffy animals (like the dogs) were too much work to take care of. Eventually, they narrowed it down to the birds. Chara quickly found a pair of zebra finches that they liked.

“Awww, look at these little fluffballs,” Chara said, leaning down at them. 

“...Chara?”

“What?”

Frisk made a smirk. “I've never seen you react like that to something cute before.”

Chara threw them a disappointed look. “I can 'awww' at cute things too, you know.”

“I know! I was just surprised, that's all.”

Chara smiled at the birds. “Look at these two. They're so puffy.”

“They're just ten VCs...” Napstablook spoke up. “...You want to buy them?”

“Are they hard to take care of?” Frisk asked.

“...no, not really...I have some basic tips, if you want...”

Chara looked at Frisk, who nodded in response.

“Okay. I'll get them.”

“...wow...I didn't think you'd actually buy anything...thank you...”

Frisk smiled. “You're welcome.”

“so...they're social birds, so you can't just keep one of them...you have to get two...”

Chara lifted up the bird cage. “We get this, too, right?”

“Yeah...”

They took out their VC card from their wallet and scanned it by the device on Napstablook's counter.

“Alright...so you change water and give them food one to two times daily...you have to clean out the bottom of the cage often...oh, and give them calcium blocks, like ground-up eggshells and bones...you can also give them leafy greens...and you can let them out to hang if you wanna...”

“That's great! Thank you,” Frisk said.

“Also...one's male, and the other's female...I guess you could name them...if you have more questions, you can come back or call...here's my number...but you also have me on the UnderNet...so you could just PM me...”

Chara put their card back in their wallet and smiled gleefully at the birds in the cage. 

“Thanks, Blooky!”

* * *

“So, what're you going to name them?”

They had arrived back in their apartment, and Chara placed the bird cage on the desk beside Asriel's flower pot. Chara opened up the cage door and let the birds come hopping out.

Asriel stared at the two birds hopping around his pot. One seemed to be staring back curiously at him.

“Yeah, look at me,” Asriel said in a sarcastic voice. “This is Asriel. A flower with a face. Cool, huh, birdy?”

The bird made a chirp.

“Except I'm actually THE GOD OF HYPERDEATH!”

Both birds fled back into their cage.

“Okay. I've come up with names for them,” Chara announced. “The girl's going to be called Tem, and the boy will be Toby. How about that?”

Frisk laughed. “Where'd you get that from? I feel like I've heard those names before.”

Chara shrugged. “Eh. I just made them up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain went "Chara with birds?" and my typing hands were like "okay."


	27. New Year's

Frisk lay in bed with their hands behind their head. It was eleven PM, one hour before midnight and the beginning of the new year. Chara was sitting in front of their laptop, browsing websites. The birds had been let out and were hanging around the desk, chirping every once in a while. Asriel appeared to be sleeping, or in whatever state of mind he entered when there was no face on the flower.

At a glance out the window, Frisk saw the crowds that were gathering out on the streets to celebrate the new year. Seeing so many people made themselves feel restless. They could go out, and join them, but Chara probably wouldn't be up for it. They were worried, too, that Killer was aware of the coming new year in this timeline, and would take this opportunity to strike. The fear of that happening kept them from falling asleep. Tonight, they had decided that they would stay up past midnight.

For Chara, that was no problem.

“...What are you looking at?” Frisk spoke up.

“Nothing,” Chara replied.

Frisk leaned their head over to be at an angle where they could glance past Chara to see what was on their monitor screen. Chara quickly moved themselves to block Frisk's view.

“What's 'nothing'?”

“You aren't normally so nosy,” Chara said, turning around. “Are you bored?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don't you go read your books?”

Frisk picked up the books that they had lying around their bed and shuffled through them one by one. None caught their interest. They put all of them away and shook their head. “I don't feel like it right now.”

Chara didn't reply. They seemed to be reading something on their screen with avid interest.

“...Talk to me,” Frisk said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

Closing their laptop screen, Chara spun around in their chair and gazed at Frisk with a large smile. “Awww. You want my attention, don't you?”

Frisk rolled their eyes. “Yes, to be honest...”

“Cute!” 

“Let's talk about something.” 

“What'd you like to talk about?”

“I was hoping that you'd have something in mind,” Frisk said, shrugging. They really weren't in the mood to come up with any topics for conversation right now.

Chara's smile diminished. “Usually, you're the one with stuff to discuss.”

“Want to talk about our feelings?”

“Our...feelings?” A bewildered expression came onto Chara's face. “What about them?”

Frisk giggled. “You know. How we feel about each other.”

“Oh...well, ummm...”

Frisk sat up and swung their legs over the edge of their bed. They placed their hands on their lap and smiled at Chara. “We haven't done this in a while, have we?”

“It's not something we normally do...”

“Let's start with some compliments!”

There was an awkward silence between the two, which was broken up by Frisk clearing their throat.

“Chara...I like your eyes,” Frisk began. “They're so round and beautiful.”

“This is just an opportunity for you to flirt,” Chara replied, placing their hands on their hips. However, Frisk could see that they were beginning to enjoy it.

“They're such a nice, luscious shade of red, too,” Frisk continued. “It makes me want to stare into them and be hypnotized by your gaze forever.”

The omnipresent blush on Chara's face deepened.

“Well, umm...I like your eyes, too!” Chara said.

“What about my eyes?”

Chara's eyes darted away. “Ummm...I think they're slender...and cute...”

“Why, thank you,” Frisk said, making an overly exaggerated face of appreciation. 

“And I like your lips, too...”

“My lips?”

“Ummm!” Chara's voice was cracking with nervousness. “Your lips are very smooth and delicate. I love kissing them!”

Frisk giggled. “I can say the same about yours, too.”

“But I'm not as good of a kisser as you!”

“You are, once you get into it,” Frisk said, leaning towards Chara and winking.

“Ummm...Frisk!”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to kiss me right now?”

Frisk sat back onto the bed and flipped their hair. “I suppose, if you really want to...”

Chara walked towards and sat down on the bed beside them.

“Wait,” Chara said suddenly. “Asriel told us to move him out of the room if we're going to make out...”

“Was he serious about that?”

Both of their eyes turned to the flower pot, but, strangely, there was no response from Asriel.

“Well. If he isn't going to say anything, then we might as well go ahead,” Chara said.

“Hold on,” Frisk said, grabbing Chara's hands. This made Chara stiffen up momentarily in surprise, but they relaxed themselves. Frisk stared into Chara's eyes. “Let's talk about why we like each other as people.”

“...As people?”

Nodding, Frisk moved their hands up Chara's arms until they were holding them. “We were only talking about why we liked each other physically. But there's so much more to it than that, isn't there?”

“Ummm...I suppose...”

“To start, I think you're the most loyal friend I've ever had,” Frisk said, smiling. “I love how you're so brave and strong-willed.”

Chara was blushing so much that they almost looked like they were cringing. “Frisk...”

“Now it's your turn!”

Chara turned away. “Well...I like you because you're kind to me, Frisk...”

“Thank you.”

“And...I think you're really thoughtful of others...and gentle...and, ummm, affectionate!”

“Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome?”

“Let me show you my appreciation...”

Slowly, Frisk leaned closer towards Chara. They placed their fingers on Chara's shirt, near to their chest, and gripped them lightly. They put their other hand on Chara's shoulder. Chara put their arms around Frisk's waist, holding them tightly. Closing their eyes, Frisk started giving Chara a soft kiss on the lips.

The tenderness and warmth of Chara's lips brought out a familiar feeling of love, affection, and desire. Chara kissed back passionately, and their lips quickly became wet. Frisk pushed against Chara with the hand gripping their shirt and brought up their tongue-

“Oh my GOD, if I have to take this ANY longer, I'm seriously going to puke!” Asriel yelled.

“Asriel!” Frisk shouted, letting go of Chara and turning around. “Why didn't you say something? I thought you weren't paying attention.”

“I was, well, curious about how the two of you make out,” Asriel replied. “But, now that I've seen it, I think it's just GROSS!”

“You were spying on us?” Chara asked.

Asriel groaned. “Okay, okay, I admit – I was being a little sneaky. But, if you want to move me to the bathroom now, you can do it.”

Chara made a cringing face. “You just ruined the mood, Asriel.”

“Did I?”

“I don't even feel like kissing anymore, knowing you were just watching us...”

Frisk turned away, feeling themselves blushing as well.

The two birds in their cage started chirping, as if in agreement.

“Oh, great,” Chara said. “Even the birds were watching us.”

“Chara...” Frisk spoke up. “Let's take a break and come back to this later.”

“Yeah, let's.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Hey, if you don't mind me asking...can you take me outside?” Asriel asked, his face lighting up with interest. “I think it's almost the new year. I heard the humans light up beautiful fireworks to celebrate it! And there's going to be a countdown, too, isn't there?”

Frisk nodded. “Yes.”

“I want to see it!”

Frisk gave Chara a questioning look. “Shall we?”

“Okay, I guess,” Chara replied. “As long as I'm with you, I don't mind being in a big crowd. And I guess Asriel deserves to see it.”

“All right. Let's hurry to it.”

* * *

They were dressed and out on the city streets about two minutes before the countdown was starting. The night air was cold, and there were light flakes of snow. They had walked to a crowded street junction, carrying Asriel and his pot in their hands. Here, they could see a large digital sign board on a tall building that displayed the amount of time remaining until the new year.

“Where are the fireworks?” Asriel asked.

“It's not even the new year yet!” Chara responded. They were keeping their head low to avoid being noticeable in the crowd. “It'll start when the countdown ends.”

Frisk checked their phone. “One minute and thirty seconds.”

They were feeling a bit anxious still. The possibility that Killer could attack the city to mark the beginning of the new year couldn't be disregarded. It would be a good terror tactic to scare everyone, and – as a result – lure them and Chara into a confrontation. However, they could always reset out of it, even if they couldn't go very far back in time. Terror wouldn't work unless Killer could stop them from resetting.

If Killer were to attack, they would probably strike at the heart of the city in the downtown square. That was where the largest crowd would gather. They would rack up the highest kill count if they struck there (Frisk didn't like the thought of that at all). But, alternatively, Killer had already found them, and was hiding in their crowd right now. Perhaps they would attack and catch them and Chara by surprise. Even so, they would still be able to reset out of it. 

Frisk tried to clear all these horrible scenarios from their thoughts. As long as they had the upper hand on resets, Killer couldn't possibly defeat them. They didn't need to feel so scared about where or when Killer would attack.

“It's almost time,” Chara said. “Thirty seconds.”

“Hey, just wondering,” Asriel said, their face reappearing on the flower. “Do you think any humans would be surprised if they saw me? I mean, the fact that I'm a flower with a face?”

Chara glanced around. “No one's really looking at us right now. They're all watching the clock.”

Asriel nodded. “I suppose it's okay if I show my face?”

“Can you see without it?” Frisk asked out of curiosity.

“With magic, yeah. But when I show my face – specifically my eyes – I can see naturally.”

“All right.”

Fifteen seconds to the new year. All eyes were turned to the clock. When it struck ten, the crowd started chanting.

“Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

Frisk braced themselves.

The clock struck zero, and a wild cheer erupted from the crowd. Fireworks shot up into the air, bursting and illuminating the night sky with brilliant light. There was a flash of red, then blue, then green, then orange, then purple, and then a countless multitude of other colours. For a moment, it seemed as if the whole sky was glowing. 

Asriel and Chara watched with wonder. Even Frisk was momentarily captivated by the sight. They had never been to a new years' countdown before, especially not one in a large city like this. There was a sensation, even if it lasted for only an instant, that everyone was watching the same thing and feeling the same emotions. Emotions like hope, and astonishment, and reverence – reverence for the new year, where the past could be left behind, and there were boundless new and exciting things to look forward to. They could forget their burdens and their worries and concentrate only on the joy of the present moment. It was an exhilarating feeling. Seeing this sight filled Frisk with determination.

“It's so beautiful,” Asriel whispered.

Chara nodded. “I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree.”

“You told me about it before,” Asriel said. “You said that, in the village where you came from, people made fireworks and celebrated the new year with them.”

The mention of their old village made Chara tense, but a smile began to spread across their lips. “Yeah. Even in that crappy old place, the new year was something that I always looked forward to.”

“I'm glad I could see this,” Asriel said. “I think I felt...happiness for a second!”

“Awww,” Chara said, giving Asriel a rub on a petal. “I'm happy for you.”

Asriel grinned. “You're awfully nice right now, Chara.” 

“What can I say? I'm feeling pretty happy, too!”

Frisk smiled as well. “That was a great new years' countdown.”

“You liked it, too, Frisk?” Asriel said.

“I loved it!”

They continued watching the fireworks for a while, captivated by the sight of so many pretty lights bursting in the sky at once. 

It was when that Frisk noticed that someone was heading towards them. A person dressed entirely in black, with a hood covering their head.

Instinctively, their hands reached for the worn dagger that they kept hidden inside their pocket. They wondered if it was Killer. The person was tall, and they were stumbled clumsily as they pushed their way through the crowd. It didn't seem exactly like what Killer would do. Killer would probably make their appearance with a huge shadow, and a lot of...killing.

“Look,” Frisk said, pointing at them. “Someone's coming.”

Both Asriel's and Chara's eyes fell upon the hooded figure.

When at last the person arrived, they stopped a fair distance in front of Frisk and waited, as if to let them observe first. Frisk thought that they looked quite familiar, even though they didn't lower their hood. It came to them seconds later, and they let down their guard. 

“Are you...the riverman?” Frisk asked. “Or the riverwoman? From the underground?”

The hooded figure nodded. “Yes, you are correct. For the sake of convenience, you may just call me the River Person.”

“Who is this person?” Chara asked Frisk.

“I met them when I was going through the underground,” Frisk replied. “They helped ferry me back and forth between Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland.”

“Well, thank you,” the River Person replied. 

Frisk noticed that, no matter how much they stared, they just couldn't look through what was under the River Person's hood. It seemed as if they had nothing but a black void for a face.

“Anyway, I had received a tip from...an acquaintance, I should say...that I should be looking out for you two,” the River Person continued. “I presume your names are Frisk and Chara?”

“Who's that acquaintance?” Chara asked. 

“I...cannot say,” they responded. “However, as mysterious as I look, I do not mean you any harm. I am aware of what the two of you are dealing with, and let me assure you – I am not on their side.”

“So...you know?” Frisk asked. “You know about them?”

“Yes. The other you. The Killer. They may appear in this timeline at any time, and I am tasked with protecting you from them. I realize, of course, the gravity of this situation, and the seriousness of this task.”

“How can we trust you?” Chara asked. “Especially if you're not even going to tell us who sent you?”

“You do not need to trust me,” the River Person said. “I am simply here to make an introduction.”

“They were pretty nice and helpful to me,” Frisk said to Chara. “I think we can trust them.”

Chara lowered their gaze. “Hmmm. Maybe.”

“Well, if you have no further questions from me, then that is all I need to say,” the River Person said. “I shall be taking my leave.”

“Wait!” Frisk said. “How did you find us?”

There came a sound like a low chuckle from the River Person.

“I guessed you were going to be here,” they answered. “To watch the New Year's fireworks.”

“...Good guess, I suppose,” Chara said.

“Well, then. That is it for now. Farewell, and do stay safe.”

The River Person turned around and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

“Can we really trust them?” Chara whispered to Frisk.

Frisk shrugged. “I don't know. But I don't think they mean us any harm.”

“How can you tell?”

“I have a feeling,” Frisk said, “that this 'acquaintance' of theirs that sent them to watch over us – it's Sans.”

* * *

Frisk felt exhausted when they arrived back home. They rarely stayed up past midnight, and now it was twelve thirty. After taking off their jacket, they collapsed onto the bed and closed their eyes.

A minute later, they realized that they weren't hearing Chara or Asriel saying anything. They reopened their eyes and found Chara standing beside them.

“Chara?”

“Hey, Frisk,” Chara began, already blushing, “do you think we c-could...you know, before you go to sleep...continue what we were doing earlier?”

Frisk stared back for a few seconds.

“Is Asriel around?”

“I already put him in the bathroom.”

“Oh. Well, umm, sure!”

Chara scratched their head. “If you're feeling sleeping, then I guess I could let you sleep...”

“No, it's fine!” Frisk tried to smile.

Chara sat down beside Frisk and leaned towards them. “So, kissing?”

“Yeah.”

A deeper blush came over Chara's face, but they giggled. As they leaned towards Frisk to kiss them, they suddenly stopped and froze.

“Ummm...Frisk...” Chara began, their voice quivering. “I had...you know, the things I was looking at earlier...”

“What things?”

“You know...on my laptop...”

Frisk tried to put on an encouraging expression. “Yeah?”

Chara turned away and flattened themselves face first onto the bed.

“Uh...Chara?”

“I was...reading,” Chara said, before promptly burying their face into the pillow beside Frisk's head. “...about...puberty...”

“Oh.”

Chara turned their head up. “You aren't surprised?”

“Why would I be surprised?”

“Because...it's, umm, it's embarrassing.”

They were unbelievably red.

“It's not embarrassing,” Frisk said softly. “What were you reading about?”

“Well...Frisk...it's a new year...and, I was, ummm, interested in what was going to happen to me as I got older...” Chara whispered. They were too embarrassed to even look back at Frisk as they spoke. “Things...with...my body, you know?”

“What about them?”

Chara threw Frisk a frustrated look. “You're just going to make me say it outright, aren't you?”

“Say what?”

It wasn't just Chara's face that was blusher now. Their hands and their neck all seemed to be turning redder and redder.

“Okay, Frisk,” Chara said, sighing. “I'm going to say it outright.”

“Say it,” Frisk replied, grinning.

“Frisk. I was wondering about how it feels to...umm, 'grow up'. You know what I'm talking about, right? At this point in my life, I'm going to start...uh, catching feelings...and, ummm, I think...I already have feelings for you. And we already kiss and all that. So, maybe, from now on, I'll start, uh....I'll start, umm, wanting a bit more?”

Frisk stared back, speechless for a few seconds.

“Well, that's fine, Chara,” Frisk said, still smiling. “In fact, that's perfectly normal! Of course you'd be interested in what's happening to your body when you get older. You shouldn't have to keep that a secret!” 

“B-b-but, Frisk!” Chara said. “What if, I, ah, uh, what if I start getting REALLY, umm, intimate feelings for you first, and you don't share the same feelings, and then it'll be really awkward for us both?!?!”

Again, Frisk had to think their words through before answering.

“If you ever want to try something new, just ask me first!” Frisk said, putting on a cheerful grin. “I won't ever get angry at you for asking permission before doing something!”

“Of course I'll ask you first!” Chara said. “I'll never do anything to you without your consent!”

“Then it's fine, right?”

Chara was so red that they had gone past tomato. They were a beet.

“I...I, ummm...”

“Yeah?”

Chara turned away. “No, forget about it.”

“Come on, I'm curious!”

“Frisk...I d-don't think you want to h-hear what I'm about to say...”

“It's okay, Chara,” Frisk said, leaning towards them. “You can tell me anything.”

“...Anything?”

“Yes.”

Finally, Chara turned back. They breathed in deeply, then shut their eyes.

“Frisk. I want to...kiss you...but, umm, without...w-w-without your, ummm, shirt...”

“Huh?”

“SORRY!” Chara said, digging their head into the pillow again. “Sorry! Forget I ever said anything!!”

Frisk felt like giggling. It wasn't even as explicit a request as they had expected. 

They leaned in close to Chara.

“No shirts kissing? Okay. But I'll only do it... if you do it too.”

“....WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAT?!?!?!?”

Frisk gave a flirtatious smile. “We can't have a one-sided relationship, can we?”

“U-ummmm!!”

“Yeah?”

“N-n-no...shirts is okay?”

“Yes.”

“What about, ummm, uh...no pants? NOT ABSOLUTELY NO PANTS AT ALL! I DON'T MEAN THAT! I MEAN, WITHOUT LIKE, YOUR LONG PAJAMAS AND STUFF.”

“So...how much clothing do you intend on removing?”

Chara looked like they were about to burst.

“AS MUCH AS YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH?”

Frisk couldn't stop themselves from giggling. “All right, all right, calm down! If you get any louder, Asriel's going to hear us, and he's just going to complain.”

Chara buried their face in their hands and whimpered.

“Turn around,” Frisk instructed, smiling slyly. “I'm going to...well, change. You should do that, too! We're not doing this unless we're equal.”

Chara simply nodded. With their face still covered by their hands, they turned around.

Both of them quickly changed while facing away from each other. When Frisk turned back around, they saw that Chara was in their green and yellow underwear. They were also in their underwear. 

Chara averted their eyes.

“Okay. I'm turning off the lights,” Frisk said, moving to the light switch of their room. They flipped it, and the room went dark.

“So...w-w-want to ummm, k-k-kiss?”

“Yeah!”

Frisk dived under the blanket and embraced Chara in a hug. Their lips met.

It was a different sensation, kissing with less clothing on. There was a feeling of close, personal contact of skin against skin, which made it feel that much more intimate. They felt more of Chara's warmth. The heat of Chara's body made it so cozy to be in their embrace.

Their lips became wet and soft as they started kissing with their tongues. Frisk felt their inhibitions melting away. They wrapped their hands tightly around Chara's back while Chara's gripped their shoulders. They breathed in the delightful scent of Chara's hair, filling them with growing passion. Chara's lips felt so good to kiss.

While kissing, Frisk caressed Chara's back gently. Chara let out a slight whimper. They gripped Frisk tighter than before, so much that it was almost starting to hurt, but Frisk couldn't get enough of Chara's warmth. They pressed themselves against Chara's body, pushing against them. They gently squeezed Chara's side with their fingers, and Chara shuddered. In response, they felt Chara clutching their shoulders, and they winced at the brief feeling of pressure.

Frisk moved their hands up Chara's back, up to their neck. Chara put a hand around Frisk's own neck and gently stroked them. Frisk winced again at the feeling of being touched so intimately. They felt Chara's tongue brush against their own lips in a slow and deliberate manner. Frisk licked back, tasting Chara's lips, which were so tender. Chara pulled away for a moment, giggling uncontrollably. Then, they kissed again.

Chara hugged them, tight enough that they lost their breath for a moment. They pushed against Chara, not to throw them off but to squeeze out a bit more space for themselves. They took in a deep breath again. The smell of Chara – everything about them – filled them with an overwhelming desire. They kissed, tongue against tongue, hands gripping each other, the warmth of Chara's body making them feel so snug and comfortable. 

Chara stroked their neck, then their shoulders, then their back. The touch of their hands and their soft fingers made Frisk shiver. It was so intimate.

They kissed until both of them were exhausted, and then they stopped using their tongues and descended into light but affectionate smooching. They let go of their lips, and Frisk turned their head to let Chara leave a trail of kisses on their cheek. Then, they kissed back, first on the nose, then on both cheeks, and finally on the lips again. They made the last kiss long and slow and gentle, breathing in deeply all the while, and they didn't let go until they saw Chara open up their eyes.

Those red eyes were so beautiful.

“Frisk,” Chara said, lying down to whisper into Frisk's ear, “that was so wonderful.”

“That was.”

“I love you.”

Frisk turned towards Chara and placed a hand on Chara's back again.

“I love you too.”

They sighed, feeling contented with how this kissing session had turned out. Chara was still so warm. They moved up closer to Chara and leaned their head against Chara's shoulder. Chara embraced them again.

“Stay with me,” Frisk whispered.

“I will.”

They felt their weary eyes closing, and smiled.

Nothing was better than falling asleep in Chara's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming...on days like these, writers like me...
> 
> S h o u l d b e b u r n i n g i n h e l l . (Charisk hell)


	28. Shadows

“How can you tell these two birds apart?” Asriel was asking.

Chara gestured at the two birds that were hopping around on their desk. One of them turned to face Chara's hand and chirped.

“The one that chirps a lot is Toby,” Chara explained. “He has longer and darker feathers. But Toby doesn't like being touched very much. The other one, Tem, doesn't mind if I pet her softly.”

Asriel watched with mild interest as Chara let Tem hop onto their finger. They brushed the bird's feathers lightly with the fingers of their other hand, eliciting a single chirp in response. Toby hopped away and back into his cage.

“How does it feel?” Asriel asked.

“They're really fluffy. Aren't they cute?”

Asriel made a sound like a chuckle. “I didn't know you liked birds so much, Chara.”

“I didn't either.”

Frisk walked into the room, dressed already in their duffle jacket. “Chara. Alphys is going to meet us at the station in twenty minutes. What are you still doing?”

“All right, all right,” Chara said. They let Tem off their hand and ushered her back into the cage before shutting it. “Come on. The trains always run late. If we get there on time, we'll probably have to stand around for at least ten minutes before Alphys arrives.”

“Alphys is taking the train?” Asriel asked. “Doesn't she have a chauffeur?”

Frisk shrugged. “She said that she couldn't be driven here today.”

“That's odd.”

Chara closed their laptop screen, stood up, and grabbed their jacket. After putting it on, they waved goodbye to Asriel and walked out with Frisk.

The weather had gotten colder lately. Today, the sky was blue and cloudless, but the air was frigid, and the wind stung when it blew against their face. Snow covered the sides of the roads. Frisk walked closely beside Chara in an attempt to gain warmth, bumping into them often and nearly pushing them off the sidewalk. In response, Chara bumped back playfully, until their walking together turned into a mini bumping contest.

More than a few strangers gave them curious looks as they walked by.

“Quit it,” Frisk said at last.

“You started it first,” Chara replied, smirking.

Frisk gave Chara one final bump. “Okay. Now, let's stop.”

“Hey!”

Frisk giggled.

The train station was a fifteen minute minute walk from their apartment. Along the way, they passed by multiple familiar stores, like Blooky's Pet House, Shyren's Music Emporium, and Vulkin's Warm Shelter (which provided free heating and rent for the poor homeless people throughout the winter). Frisk felt the temptation to stop by and warm up their frozen face, but decided against it. They had to hurry to meet Alphys, and the lineup in front of the shelter was humongous.

Near the station, they passed by a new building which they had never seen before. Its entrance was located at the end of a long alley, which looked fairly suspicious. There was a sign board above the door which displayed a pale face with enlarged eyes and a black, overly stretched mouth. Nothing indicated the name or purpose of this store.

“That's...disturbing, isn't it?” Frisk spoke up, pointing at the sign.

Chara stopped at the entrance to the alley and stared.

“Is that like some horror shop?”

“They ought to put up a sign, at least.”

“Maybe they're trying to be mysterious on purpose.”

Something about that face on the sign made Frisk feel uncomfortable, and they wished that they hadn't brought it up. “Let's just keep going.”

“Okay.”

When they finally arrived at the station, they rushed in through the door and huddled beside a wall. Frisk took off their gloves and rubbed their hands together. Their fingers felt numb. They could barely feel their ears, and as they felt warmth returning to their body, they experienced a sensation of their ears growing hot. Frisk rubbed their face with their hands, feeling the coldness of their skin. 

Chara seemed to be doing a bit better. Smiling, Frisk leaned towards them and brushed their face against their cheek.

“Uh...Frisk? We're in public...”

“I need your warmth.”

Chara blushed. “Come on...people are going to look at us funny...”

Frisk wrapped their arms around Chara and hugged them, still leaning against their face. “Just a bit longer.”

The station was loud and crowded, as always. Announcements were made every ten seconds about the next departing or arriving train, or which ones were going to be late. As Frisk expected, Line Twenty-seven, which was the one that Alphys was on, was behind its schedule. They had arrived at the station on time, but the train wouldn't get here for another six minutes.

“Told you so,” Chara whispered after the announcement was made. 

Frisk shrugged and continued hugging them.

“We might as well go and sit somewhere.”

“All right,” Frisk said, pulling away.

They moved to a bench and sat down beside each other. Crowds of people streamed by. Monsters were sparse amongst them, but most looked happy. It made Frisk glad to see that humans and monsters were getting along so well. Things could have gotten a lot worse, and perhaps that was in the case in other timelines, but – at least in this one – things were...peaceful, if one ignored the massive threat looming over the entire world. 

A few minutes passed, and they noticed four people walking by, dressed entirely in long, flowing black robes. This was eyebrow raising enough. 

“Are they going to a cosplay con?” Frisk asked, pointing towards them.

To Frisk's surprise, Chara giggled.

“That can't seriously be cosplay,” Chara said. “It looks too plain. And boring.”

“What if they're just pretending to be a bunch of wizards?”

All four people turned around at once and stared at Frisk and Chara. Frisk froze. Something about their eyes made Frisk feel uncomfortable. A shiver went down their back.

“Ummm...they're looking at us...”

Chara stared at them back. A moment later, they turned their heads around in perfect sync and walked away at once.

“That was...odd,” Frisk said.

“It was. I didn't like the way they were staring at us.”

“Me neither.”

“Frisk! Chara!”

Frisk turned their head around and saw Alphys walking towards them. Immediately, they brightened and smiled at her.

Behind Alphys were three familiar monsters. Frisk recognized them instantly as Final Froggit, Whimsalot, and the rather oddly-named Astigmatism, the monster who was mostly just a giant eye. Actually, on a closer glance, Frisk noticed that the monsters looked a bit different than when they had last seen them. Their skin appeared rubbery and slightly wet.

“Hi, Alphys,” Chara said, waving to her.

“Hello!” Frisk said as well.

Alphys walked up to them while the three monsters followed her silently.

“I know th-this looks a bit strange,” Alphys began. “But I'm g-going to explain everything once we get back!”

“Are you coming over?” Frisk asked.

Alphys nodded, smiling nervously. “I presume y-you don't mind me bringing these three monsters into your house?”

Frisk looked at each one of them. Final Froggit and Whimsalot glanced back nonchalantly. Astigmatism was...well, staring at them with its one giant eye. It raised a hand and waved.

“It's okay, right, Chara?” Frisk asked.

“Yeah.”

Astigmatism's eye transformed into a face with two smaller eyes and a mouth.

“Don't pick on me,” it said.

* * *

They were all gathered at the dinner table, eating together. Frisk hadn't been sure about what the monsters wanted to eat, but they agreed on trying out some human food. Having learned how to make Japanese food from Alphys, Frisk made a big bowl of miso ramen soup and salmon sashimi with rice and ginger.

“It's r-really good!” Alphys said while eating the noodles. “You're a great cook, Frisk!”

Frisk smiled humbly and scratched their head. “Thank you.”

Froggit made a thoughtful croak as it took in a piece of salmon sashimi with its tongue. Then, it nodded twice, and made an impressed-sounding croak.

“I've made my choice,” Whimsalot said, shaking its head as it slurped up some noodles. “...I'm going to eat human food forever.”

Astigmatism grinned widely. “Finally, someone gets it.”

“Anyways...h-how have you two been doing?” Alphys asked.

Both Frisk and Chara threw a glance at each other, then turned away. Chara had already started blushing.

“We've been...fine,” Frisk replied.

“Oh, they're doing quite well!” Asriel said, his face appearing upon the flower. His pot was on the dinner table as well, and all three monsters turned to stare at him.

“In fact, they've been doing SO well, they've been having nothing but 'fun' ever since they started living alone!”

Chara slapped one of Asriel's petals.

“Oh, ummm, I s-see...” Alphys said. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. 

Frisk and Chara cringed at the same time. Chara was glaring at Asriel.

“I guess the two of y-you like living alone, then? Without having any 'parents' around to s-supervise you?”

“It gets lonely sometimes,” Frisk said. “I miss you, Alphys.”

Alphys blushed. “Oh! I'm sorry that I've been so b-busy, Frisk. I would've visited you m-more often, but...”

“It's okay.” Frisk smiled.

“No, really! I miss you t-too, Frisk...once we have all this timeline business sorted out, you w-won't have to live by yourselves anymore. I mean, unless you want to, then-”

“Frisk isn't THAT lonely,” Chara interrupted.

Asriel wiggled his eyebrows. He pointed his leaves at Frisk and Chara.

“With Chara here, Frisk is NEVER lonel-”

“Shut up,” Chara snapped.

Alphys was sweating furiously now. She was blushing almost as red as Chara. “A ch-change of topic, I suppose...?”

“Yes,” Chara replied.

“Whew.” Alphys breathed a sigh of relief. “Frisk. The reason for me c-coming here is to tell you about my new invention. I've created a chemical th-that can, it could, well...”

She pointed at the three monsters sitting beside her.

“It can reverse the effects of excess d-determination on a monster's body,” she said. “I've already t-tested it out on these three. They were the 'Reaper Bird' amalgamate before, whom you m-must have met back in my old laboratory. But! As you can s-see, after absorbing this chemical, they've separated from each other! They're no l-longer melting, even if they do look a bit thawed...”

Alphys sighed. “Unfortunately, it can't actually r-reduce the amount of determination that already exists within a body. That's why these monsters continue to live, even th-though they don't have a soul anymore.”

“I've made my peace,” Whimsalot said. 

Final Froggit made a hopeful-sounding croak.

“What are you so afraid of?” Astigmatism said to Alphys.

“It's because it w-won't work against Killer,” Alphys answered. “If we could find some way to reduce or d-disable all the determination within their soul, then we could conceivably beat them!”

“You've done a great job already,” Frisk said in a reassuring tone. “I'm sure if you continue your research, you'll figure something out!” 

“Thank you, Frisk,” Alphys said, smiling. “I needed that.”

Astigmatism blinked, then turned to face Frisk. “That takes guts.”

“Awww,” Chara said, putting an arm around Frisk's shoulder. “All the monsters still love you!”

Now Frisk felt like blushing. “Thanks.”

They continued eating their dinner, and when they had finished, Alphys stood up and prepared to leave. At the door, Alphys opened up her handbag and took out three books, which she handed over to Frisk.

“I thought you m-might be interested in these books from the university!” Alphys said.

Frisk perused over them. There were two books on politics and history, and the third one was...an introduction to first year physics?

“Why this book?” Frisk asked.

An embarrassed expression came over Alphys' face again. “In case you ever become interested in science, y-you know! And I can help you get into the science f-faculty as a student! Just call me if you want to enrol!”

“Thanks,” Frisk replied. “I'll read it when I have the time.”

Alphys turned towards Chara.

“Undyne really misses having piano lessons with you,” she said. “She t-told me that you were her best student.”

Chara blushed deeply. “Uh...tell her I said thanks. I really appreciated her tutoring.” 

Alphys nodded. “I will! And, ummm, Chara...”

She took out a stack of notebooks from within her bag.

“Here's your homework for this month.”

“What?!”

“You d-don't really have to do them...” Alphys said, looking away. “But, you know, in case you want to stay sharp. It doesn't h-hurt to brush up on algebra every once in a while!”

Chara groaned. “Fine.”

As Alphys went out the door, she waved goodbye, and Frisk and Chara both waved back. The three monsters lined up in front of the door as well.

“Don't give up!” Whimsalot said.

Astigmatism's face transformed back into a giant eye. “Take your last look.”

Froggit made a determined croak.

Then, all three of them turned away and left.

* * *

“I forgot to buy food for the birds!” Chara exclaimed.

Frisk turned over on their bed. “Is it urgent?”

“Well...I don't want my pets to starve...”

“We can get some food from Blooky's, right?” Frisk said, sitting up. “I'll go there right now.”

Chara looked flustered. “Frisk...”

“I don't mind-”

“You're too nice!”

Frisk stood up and put on their jacket, then grabbed their wallet. “It's just a fifteen minute walk.”

“But it's dark and so cold outside!”

“I can handle it.”

Chara's blush came back. They stepped towards Frisk and hugged them.

“I don't know what I'd do without you.”

Frisk smiled brightly. “Chara, it's okay.”

“I'd go with you, but I already showered,” Chara whispered. “...Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome.”

Frisk kissed Chara on the cheek, which made them blush even more. They left Chara's embrace and stepped towards the door.

“Stay safe,” Chara said.

“I will!” Frisk replied, nodding, and went out the door.

The chill of the nighttime winter air stung Frisk's face. It wasn't as windy as it had been in the morning, but the normal temperature had definitely decreased. They stuck their gloved hands into their pocket and tightened their scarf.

Now that new year's was over, the city at night had become dark and quiet. They were nearly alone as they walked down the streets. Only a few people passed by, though there were still a lot of cars.

There was a bright moon above in the sky, which remained cloudless as it had throughout the day. 

The street near Blooky's was quiet and empty. It was probably the perfect place for a ghost. Frisk walked alone, but had a strange feeling that they were being followed. As they walked, they started to hear footsteps behind them. They saw shadows at the corner of their eye, but when they turned around, there was never anybody there.

At about a block away from the store, Frisk heard a noise like feet running. Glancing at the wall beside them, they saw four shadows approaching. Immediately, they spun around.

“Do not scream,” a man's voice said.

Frisk froze.

Four black-robed figures walked up to them and surrounded them. They were two women and two men. One of the women unveiled a knife from within the sleeve of her robes and held it up to Frisk's chest. Another, a man, took out a gun and held it to Frisk's forehead.

“Do not make a sound,” the man repeated. “You must come us.”

Frisk was terrified. But, before they had a chance to react, they felt a hand touch the back of their head.

Instantly, their entire body became tense. A dark vision flashed before their eyes. It was the sight of a tunnel – a swirling tunnel of shadows, full of screaming faces. Limbs reached out towards them. 

They felt their body being flung into this tunnel.

* * *

Frisk woke up, but they couldn't see a thing when they opened up their eyes. They realized that they were probably looking at a piece of dark fabric. They had been blindfolded.

Their body felt sore, especially their arms. Upon trying to move them, they felt strong resistance. Their hands were bound together. They tried to move their fingers and felt themselves touching cold, hard steel.

“You're awake now,” a man's voice was saying.

Frisk felt their blood turn cold. So, it had happened. Those four people had actually taken them away, and now they were trapped somewhere.

“You are the one we've been looking for,” a woman said.

Frisk tried to muster up the courage to speak. They opened their mouth, but the words wouldn't come out.

“We've been told about you,” the woman continued. “You sick, twisted, disgusting little thing.”

“Degenerate,” the man added.

Fear gave Frisk a newfound strength to speak. “Who are you?!”

“Us? We are the people who have been chosen to destroy you,” the man replied. “Chosen by our almighty saviour.”

“We are the Order of the Rising Shadow,” the woman said.

Frisk was confused and scared. “The...what?”

“The great shadow came to us,” the woman replied. “They are the one who look exactly like you. They told us about the truth of this world.”

“Yes, yes,” the man said. “They told us when this world was going to end – the exact time of its destruction. And They promised us salvation. When the world ends, it will be consumed by a massive shadow. Everyone, human and monster, will die. Only those who have served Them will be allowed to live.”

“And They ask of us only one thing. They ask for us to find the one, true enemy. The one who is a deceiver, who is a false copy of Them, the one who will try to stop Them...you.”

“We have finally found you,” the woman said. “Now, They will save us. When the shadow consumes all, we will live on. We will be granted eternit-”

“After we do one thing,” the man interrupted. “They said that you have too much determination. They said that, before the shadow comes, we must break you. We must destroy your will, your spirit. We must dismantle you, we must eradicate your power, we must annihilate your existence!”

“And then, we will be saved!”

Frisk was completely terrified. 

They had an inkling of what was going on, and it had everything to do with Killer. Somehow, Killer must have reappeared in this world. They must have used their shadow and convinced people to obey them. Now, there were these four scary, misguided people in front of them, and they had probably been instructed to destroy them by breaking their determination – which was exactly what Killer would have wanted.

Frisk didn't want to stay here any longer.

They calmed their mind, even as they listened to the man and the woman's crazed laughing. They thought of going back in time, of resetting. They put all their determination into making it come true.

Slowly, the world started to fade away. Everything became distant again. They felt their arms becoming free. They felt their body being flung through another tunnel, a tunnel that went back through time. They felt themselves returning to a place that was safe, a safe where everything would be fi-

They crashed into a wall.

Frisk opened their eyes. In front of them was a familiar and massive looming wall of shadow.

“Not so easy, is it?” Killer's voice spoke, echoing across the entire tunnel. “You can't reset if Chara isn't here with you. Now that the two of you have separated, I've got you into my trap!”

Frisk dashed towards the wall and punched and kicked it with all their strength. It didn't even budge.

Killer laughed.

“If anything bad happens,” Frisk whispered, “Chara is going to reset. They'll come to this tunnel, and we'll break through the wall together.”

“Not if I kill you first!'

Suddenly, Frisk felt themselves losing control of their body. They were picked up, held by some invisible force, and then flung forward through time – all the way out of the tunnel.

They landed with a thud, back in their own body, in their present time and predicament. All they could see was black.

“Now, let us begin the breaking,” the man was saying. “We will start with some torture.”

Frisk tensed up. They held their breath, horrified.

They wanted to cry.

They heard some disturbing sounds around them, like metal creaking, and then a knife being sharpened. Something was laid down on the floor beside them. Two strong hands pinned their shoulders against the wall. Then, they felt it.

A thing that was very cold, and very sharp. It was sliding slowly across their neck.

They thought immediately that it was a knife, and braced themselves for pain. 

Seconds passed. 

They winced, imagining the agony of the life-ending pain. 

But it never came.

Then, they felt it. Wetness against their neck. 

Initially, they thought it was their blood. It had to be.

They would die soon.

Everything would go dark, and they would have to say goodbye. To Chara, to Asriel, to Alphys, to Sans, to Toriel...to the world.

It was time for their life to end.

But...wait.

It wasn't their blood. 

They didn't feel any pain.

There was just cold, and wetness.

It came to them. 

They realized this method of torture. 

Pressed against their neck was probably just some ice.

Then, the man screamed.

They felt their shoulders being released from the hands that pinned them against the wall. The woman screamed as well, and they heard them shuffling away, feet banging against the wooden floor. Then, the blindfold was lifted off their eyes, and their arms became free.

Frisk blinked several times, adjusting to the light that flooded their vision. They looked around and saw that they were in a small room. Four black-robed people were standing to their left, backing away. To their right was...the River Person?

It was definitely them. Their robes were different – shorter, thicker, more bluish. And, as usual, there was nothing under that hood, nothing but a black void.

“I can hardly think of anything more despicable than torturing children,” the River Person said in a low, ominous voice. “You are degenerates.”

“Who are you?!” one of the robed men yelled.

“Who am I?” the River Person repeated. “I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman...? It doesn't really matter.” They shook their head. “For now, I am one thing: your worst nightmare.”

One of the women stepped forward. “You...you are an enemy of our saviour,” she whispered. She lifted up her hands. “An enemy of the great shadow.”

To Frisk's horror, they saw something appearing beneath the woman's feet. Something like...a pool of darkness. Tendrils of shadow rose out from this pool, curling around her body. It spread out to the other robed people, and now they were all surrounded by writhing black streams.

“Humans? Using magic?” There was a sound like a chuckle from the River Person. 

“This is the magic granted to us by Them,” the man said. “Resist us, and we will destroy you.”

The River Person shook their head.

“Magic disappeared from the human gene pool long, long ago,” they said. “Only monsters have the capability to use magic now. If you attempt to use magic that does not belong to you, you will have to face the consequences.”

“KILL HIM!” The woman yelled.

A stream of black shadows burst out from the robed figures and surrounded the River Person. Horrific faces and gnarled limbs rose out of the streams and began to attack the River Person.

All of the attacks went through the River Person's body and disappeared as soon as they struck.

“Wh-what's...happening?” one of the robed men said. “Why...why doesn't our magic work?”

“You are using magic that does not belong to you,” the River Person responded calmly.

“But...this is the magic of our saviour!” the man shouted. “It is their great shadow!”

“Oh? You claim to know shadows?”

Frisk didn't understand why, but they felt like a smile was spreading across the River Person's face.

“I know something of shadows, too.”

A sleeve extended out from the River Person's robes. There was a bony hand at the edge of the sleeve. 

Streams of red, purple, and black electricity exploded out of the River Person's hand. They coalesced together, morphing into a twisting, multi-coloured shadow, which shot towards the robed men and covered them in its entirety. Instantly, the robed men and woman fell onto their knees. Each of them grabbed their heads, and then fell face first onto the floor and began screaming. 

Red and purple streaks of electricity coursed through their bodies. Frisk watched in a mixture of fascination and horror as shadow after shadow ripped through them, bursting out of their mouths, then their eyes, then their ears and even their noses – shadows were erupting out of every corner of their faces. Their screaming reached feverish pitches, becoming shrieks, and they started to shake and twitch and shiver. All of them banged their heads against the floor, begging for it to stop, begging for the shadows to stop engulfing them, begging for release from this anguish-

“STOP IT!” Frisk shouted, standing up. They turned to face the River Person. “Stop it now!”

In an instant, the electricity and the shadows disappeared. The robed people now lay on the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

“My apologies,” the River Person said, their hand and their sleeve disappearing back into their robes. “I thought it appropriate for me to inflict upon them tenfold what they had tried to do to you.”

“They're still human!” Frisk replied. “You tortured them.”

The River Person shook their head. “My apologies.”

“But...I have to thank you,” Frisk said, sighing. “You saved my life.”

“As I was tasked to do. I apologize, also, for coming so late.”

“It's okay.”

“Then, shall we leave?”

Frisk nodded.

They walked out the door, and Frisk realized immediately where they were. They were standing at the entrance of that mysterious shop at the end of the alley beside the train station. The shop with the disturbing sign above the door, right above their heads.

They turned around, taking another look at the robed people who were still lying on the floor inside.

“They'll live,” the River Person said. “Shadow magic inflicts suffering, but rarely kills.”

“I...see.”

“Shall I walk you home?”

“Yes, thank you.”

It was a long, cold walk back. Frisk spoke little along the way. They trusted the River Person, but, at the same time, they didn't know who they were. All they knew was that they had a bony hand, and they had powerful shadow magic, and they also liked riding in their little boat...

“Oh. I have also bought your bird feed for you,” the River Person said. A sleeve appeared out of their robes, and a bony hand was holding a package of bird food.

“Ummm...thank you,” Frisk said. They tried to muster up a smile. “How did you know?”

“I...I am sorry, but, having been tasked with watching over you, I often know of what you need when you go out,” they said.

“Oh...umm, okay.”

“I do apologize indeed.”

“No, it's fine,” Frisk said. “You...really did save my life back there.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

Frisk nodded. “Well...take care of yourself.”

“And the same for you. Farewell.”

Frisk turned around as the River Person left. They walked up the stairs and down the balcony walkway until they were standing in front of their apartment door.

They unlocked the door with their keys and pushed it open.

“Frisk!” Chara yelled, dashing towards them. “Frisk, you were gone for so long! I was so worried! What happened to you?”

Frisk opened their mouth, but found themselves unsure of what to say. They froze before they could say a word.

“Frisk? Are you okay?”

Frisk stepped forward. They felt themselves losing their balance, and when they took their next step, they collapsed against Chara's shoulder. 

“FRISK!” Chara exclaimed. “What happened?!?!”

They still didn't have the right words to say. They placed their arms around Chara, embracing them tightly.

“Frisk...I'm so sorry,” Chara was already saying. “I should've come with you. I should've...”

Frisk closed their eyes. Chara was here. Chara was finally with them again. They never wanted to let go.

“Frisk...”

They never wanted to let go.


	29. Fallen Down

Chara was distraught with guilt.

“I'll never leave your side again,” they were saying, lying in bed that night. “I'm so sorry.”

Frisk still felt disturbed over what had happened, but they didn't want to see Chara blaming themselves for it. “It's not your fault.” 

“You don't have to try and make me feel better,” Chara whispered. “It was my fault. If I had just gone with you, then we could've reset together, and none of this would've happened.”

“This isn't the first time people have tried to kill me.”

“I'm going to kill them.”

Frisk shook their head. “The River Person already took care of them. You don't need to get yourself involved.”

“Aren't you scared that there might be more?”

“I am, but...”

The trauma of their experience of being kidnapped was still vivid in their mind. Yes, it wasn't first time people had tried to kill them. But it was the first time they had been bound up, blindfolded, and subject to mental torture. The feeling of helplessness that had pervaded throughout the whole ordeal was scarring. It was a memory that they would not forget for a very long time.

Yet, as traumatic of an event as it had been, they knew that they couldn't allow themselves to falter or give up. They had to stay determined. They had to keep a positive attitude. They couldn't lose courage – otherwise, Killer would win. It was hard trying to maintain their optimism after going through all that. But, for the sake of their friends, for the sake of this world – and perhaps every other world – they had to do it. They had to preserve their determination.

Tonight, however, it was simply too hard of a thing to do.

“Frisk...?” Chara said, opening up their eyes. “Are you...are you crying?”

Frisk sniffed. “Chara. I'm fine.”

“...Frisk!” Chara grabbed Frisk and embraced them in the tightest hug that Frisk had ever felt. They buried their head against Chara's shoulder and let their tears fall freely. 

“I'm sorry,” Chara whispered. “I'm so, so, so sorry.”

“It's not your fault, Chara,” Frisk said through muffled snobs. “It's not your fault.”

Chara rubbed Frisk's back gently with their hand. “It was my fault. I never should've let you go out alone. I was so careless.”

Frisk sniffed. “It's okay, Chara. I'm not mad at you.”

“You don't have to keep saying that. If...if you want to cry, Frisk, then just cry! Please. I'm here for you. You can cry as much as you want! I'll always be your shoulder to cry on!”

Hearing this from Chara made Frisk feel so happy. 

“...Thank you,” they said softly. They hugged Chara back, as tightly as they could.

Chara patted Frisk again. “I'll never, ever, ever leave you again.”

Even through their tears, Frisk felt themselves smiling. “Thank you, Chara...”

“It's okay, Frisk.”

“Thank you...”

Chara didn't let go of Frisk for that whole night, even as Frisk cried themselves to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, when Frisk woke up, they felt refreshed. They blinked a few times after opening up their eyes, trying to make sure that they really were at where they believed they were. They were lying in Chara's arms, on their bed and in their little apartment. Their little home. A safe place.

Glancing at the windows, they saw bright sunlight streaming through. It was either noon, or very late in the morning. 

They rubbed their eyes and gave Chara a small nudge to wake them up.

“Frisk...?”

“Good morning,” Frisk said, putting on a smile. “I think we may have overslept.”

Chara still looked drowsy, and they closed their eyes again.

“Let's get up.”

“Just let me sleep a bit longer...”

“Okay.”

Frisk got out of bed, put on their sweater and pants, and went into the kitchen. It was eleven AM. They thought about making breakfast and began perusing through their refrigerator. They could fry some hash browns, or cook some eggs, or make some french toast. For some reason, none of that seemed particularly appetizing right now. Perhaps it was because the time was closer to lunch than to breakfast. They could try and make brunch instead, but there wasn't much other food left in their kitchen.

A second thought came to their head.

They went into the washroom first to brush their teeth, wash their face, and comb their hair. Then, they went back out and turned on their own laptop, which was on the desk beside Chara's.

Toby and Tem started to chirp. Frisk opened up the cage door and let them out.

On their laptop, they began browsing for places around their neighbourhood to eat brunch. Fast food was always an option, but they wanted to find some place fancier. Unlike when they lived at the laboratory, which was closer to downtown, there weren't too many restaurants near their apartment. The few that were there, they had already tried before, and either they or Chara concluded that they didn't like the food too much. Today, they wanted to find a place that both of them would enjoy.

After searching for a few minutes, they discovered that a new cafe had opened up relatively close by. It was just over a ten minutes' walk away. Glancing through its menu, they were happy to find that it did serve brunch.

“Hey, Chara,” Frisk said, tapping Chara on the shoulder.

Chara turned over on their bed and opened up their eyes. “Yeah?”

Frisk grinned. “Let's go out for brunch.”

“Where?”

“At a new place that I found.”

“Why?”

“I want to have a lunch date.”

“A date? Today?”

“Yeah.” Frisk said, nodding. “I think it'll help get our minds off everything.”

“Oh, ummm, okay.” Chara flipped their hair out of their eyes and stretched. “I'll get dressed.”

Chara got out of bed, put on their clothes, and went into the washroom. When they came back out, they walked up behind Frisk.

“Where are we going?”

“It's this place called 'Tasty Boat'. It just opened up nearby.”

Chara giggled. “That's an odd name.”

“It has good reviews, though.” Frisk scrolled through some of the Google reviews for this restaurant, which ranged from 3.5 to 5 stars, with an average score of 4.6.

“What do they have?”

“Brunch stuff,” Frisk replied. “You like omelettes, right, Chara? They have an omelette combo with pancakes for just nine VCs.”

“What kind of pancakes?”

Frisk clicked on the menu and scrolled through. “They've got chocolate banana.”

Chara's expression brightened. “Why are we still here?”

“Okay,” Frisk said, laughing.

They quickly got dressed in their jackets and went out.

Outside, it was cold, as yesterday had been, but at least it was no longer windy. Frisk was cautious as they stepped out onto the streets. They looked around to make sure that no one was following them – in particular, any suspicious looking people dressed in dark robes. Though, on second thought, they realized that that would also fit the description of the River Person. Why did they have to dress so similarly to those cultists?

Chara took note of Frisk's suspicion. Their expression turned fierce, and they put a hand in their pocket, where Frisk knew that they kept their knife.

“Don't worry, Frisk,” Chara said. “I'll watch your back. If anyone comes and tries to take you, I'll stab their heart out.”

As much as Frisk hated violence, they couldn't help but feel touched over how much Chara cared about them. They giggled a bit. “But don't stab the River Person if they come along.”

“I guess.”

“Just so you know, the people that kidnapped me yesterday wore long black robes. But the River Person's robes are dark blue and shorter, and they wear this huge hood.”

“...I know.”

Fortunately, it was day time, so the streets were full of people and a kidnapping didn't appear likely. But the only assurance that Frisk really needed was that Chara was with them. Together, they would know when the other needed help. If anything bad happened, they would reset together, and with their combined determination, they would be able to overcome Killer and return to a better time.

The cafe was at the north end of their neighbourhood, near the city harbour. It was shaped like an actual boat, with a ship's deck as its roof and an entrance door leading into the interior of the boat. There were tables and chairs out on the roof, but the floor was covered in snow, and nobody was eating out on it right now. It was probably too cold to even bother.

Inside, there was a hall filled with tables and eating customers. Windows along the hall gave a clear and calming view of the lake outside. At the far end of the hall was a wooden upright piano, which was currently unoccupied. There was a bar-like counter to the right of the entrance, and Frisk was surprised to find the River Person standing behind it.

“Hi!” Frisk said, waving at them. “I didn't know you worked at this store!”

It was impossible tell the River Person's expression.

“Hello, Frisk,” they replied. “Hello, Chara. Welcome to my shop.”

“You own this store?” Chara asked.

“Yes...at first, I made my living giving people free rides on my boat at the harbour, but not everyone was willing to trust someone that looked like me.” They moved their head in what Frisk presumed was a downcast expression. “Also, as it got colder, boat rides became less and less popular. So, I decided to try out entrepreneurship, and I renovated my boat into this...building. Then, an acquaintance of mine gave me some suggestions, and I started selling things.”

“At first, I sold hot dogs, and everybody liked them, so I decided to expand my menu. Now, this shop's a full cafe, and I get quite a lot of customers.”

“Congratulations,” Frisk said, smiling. “From the reviews I've read of your shop, I can tell that you've become quite successful.”

The River Person made a sound that Frisk guessed was a chuckle.

“Thank you, thank you,” they said in a softer voice.

Chara had already taken a menu off the counter and was flipping through it. “Where are the chocolate pancakes?”

“The chocolate banana flavour? We've run out,” the River Person replied.

The expression on Chara's face was worse than anything Frisk had ever seen before, even compared to their 'creepy face' (which still sometimes scared Asriel).

“This...can't...BE!” Chara said, breathing in deeply. “I came all the way here for that!”

Now the River Person appeared sad. “I am truly sorry for this. Would you like to try one of our other pancake flavours instead? We have strawberry, peach, blueberry...”

Frisk placed a hand on Chara's shoulder. “Come on. We'll go shopping later, and you can buy all the chocolate you want. Let's just get something to eat here right now, okay?”

Chara brushed Frisk's hand away. “Fine.”

“I am sorry indeed,” the River Person repeated, shaking their head.

“What's the closest flavour to chocolate you have?” Chara asked.

“Uh...Chara. All the other pancake flavours are fruits.”

“Well, what's a fruit that tastes like chocolate?”

Frisk groaned. The River Person looked embarrassed.

“Fine!” Chara exclaimed, turning back to the menu. They flipped through it angrily, and then pointed to one of the flavours. “I'll try peach. Oh, and I'll get it with the omelette combo.”

“I'll just get the 'English Breakfast',” Frisk said. “With chrysanthemum tea, please.”

The River Person nodded. “Thank you. Please find a seat, and I will bring you your orders shortly.”

Chara walked down the hall and picked a table that was close to the piano. They sat down together beside it.

“You want to try playing the piano?” Frisk asked.

Chara shrugged. “Am I allowed to?”

“You can ask when the waiter comes by.”

“...'Kay.”

Chara looked crestfallen. Frisk could tell that they were still unhappy over the fact that they couldn't order the chocolate flavoured pancake.'

It was strange how the little things could ruin a person's day. Things like having one's expectations let down. The world was in danger, and there were people out trying to kill them – but it was a shortage of chocolate that made Chara sad.

Frisk looked out the window beside their table. The sky was grey, and the waters of the lake looked rough and turbulent. There were only a few boats out on the water right now, and they were sailing slowly.

“...Sorry for acting kind of childish,” Chara spoke up suddenly.

“That's okay.”

Chara sighed. “I was really looking forward to eating chocolate pancakes for lunch.”

“I'm sorry you couldn't have that on our date.”

“No, really, it's okay.” Chara tried to smile, but they ended up looking like they were cringing.

“Chara, we can buy a chocolate cake at the store later-”

“I'm fine, really,” Chara repeated. “Sorry, Frisk. We haven't gone on a date in a while, and I had to ruin it.”

“You didn't ruin it!”

“Well...I'm going to make it better,” Chara said. “There's something I've been wanting to show you. I've wanted to show you it since back when we lived at Alphys' lab, but I had never really gotten the chance to.”

“What is it?”

“I'll show you it, if they let me play the piano.”

The River Person arrived with their order almost immediately after that. 

“That was fast,” Frisk said. “Thanks.”

“By the way, can I play the piano here?” Chara asked.

“Of course you can,” the River Person answered, nodding. “My cafe is here for you to enjoy however you wish.”

“Thank you,” Chara replied.

They took a few bites of the food and smiled, appearing to like it. Then, they stood up and walked over to the piano behind them. They sat down at the seat and breathed in. Frisk walked up beside them.

“I was trying to compose my own piece,” Chara said. “Undyne told me that it sounded good. But I was never able to finish it.”

“What's it called?” Frisk asked.

“...I don't have a name for it yet,” Chara said. “But, I think, Frisk...when I play this piece, it reminds me of you. I'm not sure why. It's just a feeling.”

“Play it,” Frisk said, smiling.

“All right.”

Chara began the piece.

The first thing Frisk noticed was that it was very simple. The melody started with two notes that kept repeating over and over again, while Chara's left hand played a similarly uncomplicated accompaniment. The two notes that repeated then switched into two different notes, and this happened again and again. It created a mood that was calm and peaceful. There was a feeling of softness behind the notes, bordering on melancholy, and as Frisk listened, they found themselves experiencing a sense of nostalgia.

Except until it ended.

It sounded like the piece was going to transition into something else, something different that would complete the melody, but...Chara just went back to the beginning, back to the first two repeating notes.

“Huh?” Frisk said.

“I know. It's confusing,” Chara said, stopping their playing abruptly. “To be honest, I've tried so many different ways to end this piece, but...I never could find the right one.”

“Can you play one of them?”

Chara shook their head. “No. It's not complete right now. It wouldn't feel right. I have to think about it a bit more.”

“Oh...”

They returned to their seats, and Chara resumed eating their meal.

“I'm sorry, Frisk,” Chara said again. “I wanted to show you what I had composed, but I just made it a mess.”

“I liked it!” Frisk replied. “It was still a really good piece!”

“But it could've been much better.”

Frisk smiled reassuringly. “Just show me it again when you're done.

“Okay...I guess.”

The rest of their lunch date became somewhat awkward as Chara ate silently, and Frisk's attempts to start a conversation were struck down by their awareness of Chara's own self-deprecating mood. They didn't know how they could make Chara feel better. Kissing, or doing anything affectionate was probably out of the question.

When they finished, they paid for their meal and went back outside, waving goodbye to the River Person.

“Let's...go shopping,” Frisk suggested. “We need to buy food for dinner.”

“Okay,” Chara whispered in response.

Frisk found themselves wishing that they hadn't said 'huh?' so insensitively. Things could probably have gone better if they had just told Chara that they liked their composition.

The grocery store was, fortunately, close by the harbour as well. They went in and bought enough food for the next three days. Frisk had gotten used to making Japanese food, and also pasta, so they bought a lot of noodles and tomatoes. Chara also liked simple meals like stir fry, so Frisk filled their grocery cart with vegetables and sauces.

When they were done, they went out and prepared to go home. 

“...I wish I could have a piano to practice on,” Chara spoke up.

“We could get a keyboard.”

“Don't be so selfless, Frisk,” Chara said in a slightly nasty tone. “That's too expensive.”

“I could get you it as a present. When's your birthday?”

“Thanks, but – no, I don't want a keyboard,” Chara replied. “I like playing the piano. The keyboard just wouldn't feel the same.”

“Why don't you go to the River Person's cafe when you want to play?”

“Would they really let me play every time without buying anything?”

Frisk lowered their head. “That's true.”

“Well, they are supposed to be watching over us right now, aren't they? Do you think that means we get any special privileges?”

“...Maybe.”

Chara shook their head. “Sorry, but I wouldn't feel good playing the piano, knowing that.”

“How come?”

“...Just because.”

They were walking on a high street that passed beside the harbour. Chara stopped walking, suddenly. They turned around, facing the lake.

A cold wind blew by. Frisk brushed strands of hair away from their eyes.

“Chara?”

Without reply, Chara walked up to the edge of the street and stopped in front of the railings. They put their arms on top of the railings, and then leaned against it. Frisk walked up beside them.

They realized what Chara had seen.

Looking over the lake, Frisk was reminded of their old house, back when they had lived with Toriel. This was the sight from their balcony, every single day – even though it wasn't the ocean. There was the beach, still full of sightseeing visitors despite that it was far too cold to swim. There was the nearby port, where ships were docked at piers and new ones sailed in and out every day. There was the vast body of water, full of swirling waves, with a never ending horizon. It was a familiar and nostalgic sight. 

“Frisk,” Chara spoke up at last.

“Yeah.”

“Back when I lived in...back in my old life, when I lived in a little village,” they began. “We lived by a little lake, too.”

“Every day, a new boat arrived. They were visitors or traders, and they always brought interesting stuff for everyone to see. Well, interesting to me, back then, since I hadn't really seen much at all. Sometimes, they had food, and I would really want to eat it. I never could. Sometimes, they brought things like souvenirs or junk or clothes or jewelry, and...they always filled me with fascination. They made me think about what was out there, in the world outside my village.”

“...I wanted to run away. I thought of escaping onto one of those boats. But if I got caught, my 'parents' would beat the hell out of me. And...I was scared. Scared that the people on the boats would throw me off, and I would drown, or they would take me to a faraway place where I would die because I didn't know anything. So, in the end, I gave up. I never escaped.”

Chara turned around and leaned their back against the railing. They sighed audibly, but their expression was relaxed. “Well. You know what actually happened. I did escape, but not on a boat. Instead, I ran up a mountain and fell into a hole.”

“But, you know, sometimes I find myself wondering about what could've happened if I escaped on one of those boats,” they continued. “I sure wouldn't have discovered the underground, and I wouldn't have messed up my brother, ummm, Asriel's family. Maybe I wouldn't even have died. Still, at the same time, and I know it sounds selfish, but it's not like it hasn't completely worked out for me...”

“Chara,” Frisk spoke up. “If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't have met you.”

As Chara opened their mouth again to speak, they suddenly paused. Frisk turned to look at them. Tears were welling up in Chara's eyes.

“I...I wouldn't have met you,” Chara repeated.

“Chara?”

“I...”

Chara wiped at their eyes with their hand. “I wouldn't have met you, either, if I hadn't killed myself.”

“...”

“And the monsters might all still be trapped in the underground,” Chara said. “I might have grown up to become a successor to the throne. Asgore and Tor-mother would have grown old, and they might have died, and I might have become the new queen or something...”

“Queen?”

“Well, Asriel would've been the king, so...”

Frisk giggled. “You would've married Asriel?”

Chara laughed. “Maybe. Or maybe not.”

“Anyways, if I was still alive...maybe, we'd have treated every new human who fell into the underground as a friend, instead of taking away their souls. Maybe, even though monsters would still be trapped underground, at least they'd have been able to coexist with humans peacefully.”

“But...aren't things pretty peaceful right now?” Frisk asked.

“Yeah, I guess, if you forget about Killer.”

Chara stood up straight. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go on a tangent, thinking about all this. It's pointless, because none of this happened. And it's not like I would've preferred it to, well, meeting you...”

Frisk smiled warmly. “It might have happened in some other timeline.”

“I want to forget about all this timeline crap.”

“...I know.”

Chara turned to look in the direction that they had come from. “You know, Frisk. I just thought of something.”

“What is it?”

“...I want to show you, but we'll have to head back to the River Person's cafe.”

Frisk had an inkling of what they meant. “All right. Let's go.”

“Really?”

“Sure!”

They walked quickly back to the River Person's cafe, and when they entered, Chara asked if they could use the piano again. The River Person nodded, and Chara went to sit down on the bench. Frisk walked up beside them again and sat down in a chair.

“Here we go,” Chara said, taking another deep breath. “I think...I think I know how to end this piece now.”

They started playing again.

It was the same piece, beginning with the same two notes that repeated over and over again. But, Frisk could feel something different in Chara's playing now. Before, they had seemed reluctant, almost unemotional. Frisk could sense a new feeling in the piece now. Instead of just being calm, or melancholic, or peaceful, it carried with it a sense of hope. Within the piece, there was a growing determination, until...

...until it sprouted fully, from the part where Chara had left off before. They didn't go back to the beginning. They continued, with a new melody, which progressed the piece perfectly. It was a melody without the pattern of the repeating notes, and yet it fit the mood in a way that was pleasantly surprising. The melody was no longer wistful, but carried a sense of resolve, full of warmth and spirit. 

And then Chara surprised Frisk even further, continuing the piece into a section that sounded wholly different. Now it was light-hearted and bouncy, with a new and yet familiar melody that Frisk felt they had heard many times before. As they listened, they started to feel more and more cheerful. It was so beautiful.

Finally, the melody became slow and calm once more. It repeated a different set of notes, building up to its finale, and then resolved on a perfect ending chord.

“That was so beautiful,” Frisk said.

Chara turned around, standing up, and took a short bow. Frisk giggled.

“Thank you, Frisk.”

“Do you have a name for it yet?”

Chara thought for a moment. “I want to dedicate it to you.”

“So...?”

“I want to dedicate to the moment I met you,” Chara said. “And, that moment...”

“...is the moment that you fell down the hole on Mt. Ebott, and landed on the flower bed.”

Frisk nodded.

“So...I'll call it...”

“Fallen Down.”


	30. Undiluted Sin

“This might sound a bit strange, but I'd like to pay my kidnappers a second visit.”

Chara stopped eating their chocolate banana pancake in mid bite and stared at Frisk. They were having lunch together at the Tasty Boat again.

“What the he-”

“Just hear me out,” Frisk said. “I've formulated a plan.”

Chara couldn't look any more confused. “Ummm, shoot.”

“They were saying that Killer had told them the date that the world would 'end',” Frisk began. “I'm not sure if they mean what I think they mean. But they did say that, on the day that the world ends, it will be consumed by a giant shadow, and everyone will perish. Could this be the day that Killer is planning to attack again?”

While Frisk was talking, the River Person had walked by to stand beside their table.

“My apologies,” they said when they had arrived. “But I heard you talking about the cult that had tried to kill you.”

“I was,” Frisk replied to them. “And...I'm thinking that we might be able to get some important information out of them.”

“I overheard,” the River Person said. “It is possible that Killer does have such a date in mind. Strange that they would tell the goons that they've hired about it, though.”

“Maybe they think that they can definitely win,” Frisk suggested.

“Frisk. It's too risky,” Chara said after they had swallowed their food. “Why would you want to go meet the people that tried to torture you? They might just attack you again!”

“I don't want to see them again,” Frisk replied. Their expression turned grim. “But they could have important information to tell us. If we know the date that Killer is going to attack, then we can warn Alphys and the others ahead of time. We can come up with a backup plan to try and stop them.”

“It's still too dangerous!” Chara protested. “Plus, isn't it enough that we can reset together? If Killer attacks, we'll just reset out of it, and then use what we've learned to deal with them the second time.”

“We could,” Frisk said. “But, does it mean we should?”

“Huh?”

“Killer is aware of our resets. Not only that, but I don't think that they would attack again unless they're sure that they're going to win. If we wait for them to act first, it might already be too late. I don't know what they're going to do next – and I don't know how they'll be able to counter against our resets – but, when they do, we should be as prepared as we can be.”

Chara leaned back in their seat, sighing.

“I guess...I suppose you're right,” Chara said at last. “But I can't believe you're brave enough to want to confront your kidnappers again after they tried to torture you!”

Frisk lowered their eyes. “Chara. I don't want to meet them again. Ever. I'm just doing what I think is best for us, and...everyone else. The survival of our world, no matter what, takes top priority.”

“You're too selfless.”

“I'm just trying to be helpful.”

The River Person suddenly nodded their head.

“Frisk. You are too selfless,” they began saying. “I believe I am obligated to help you, however, were you to put yourself in a situation of danger.”

“Oh! I was just going to ask you if you wanted to come along,” Frisk said, smiling shyly. “But, I guess if you want to come, then that's settled already...?”

“Of course I shall come,” the River Person replied. “It is my task and duty to protect the two of you. I would not let either of you wander into danger.”

“So...what can you do, exactly?” Chara asked.

“I am...well.” There was a sound from the River Person like a quiet laugh. “I can use a certain type of magic that humans do not fare well against. Frisk has already seen the results of this magic, and I can assure you, it would also be helpful in the case of information extortion...”

“Can you show me?”

The River Person stopped 'laughing'.

“No, I cannot,” they replied. “It is...not appropriate.”

“Why not?”

“Chara,” Frisk said. “It's shadow magic. You've seen something like it when Killer unveiled their giant shadow soul. Basically, it's dangerous.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Well then,” the River Person said, “shall we get going? Their base of operations is that building at the end of the alley beside the train station. If it is too much for you, Frisk, I will go and get the information from those cultists myself...”

“No, it's fine,” Frisk said. “I can handle them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

They got up, walked out of the cafe, and began heading together to the alley. From where they were now, it was a twenty minute walk. Frisk felt their heart began to beat fast. They decided to try and strike up a conversation.

“Ummm...River Person?” they began. “I've always wondered...what's behind your hood?”

Chara laughed a little. “I was thinking that, too!”

“What is behind my hood?” the River Person turned their head to face them directly. “Well, it is exactly what you see when you stare into it.”

Frisk and Chara both looked. They saw complete and utter darkness.

“Nothing,” Chara replied. “I don't see anything.”

“That is partially correct,” the River Person said. “It may be strange to hear this, but I do not actually have a body. I am but a soul.”

Frisk gave them a questioning look. “What?!” 

“If you don't mind, I can tell you how I became this way...”

Both Frisk and Chara nodded.

“I was once a different person,” the River Person began. “I was a monster living in the underground – the kingdom's Royal Scientist, to be exact.”

“Like Alphys?” Frisk asked.

They nodded. “Yes. Alphys replaced me, actually. What happened was that I built the engine that powered the entirety of the underground – a powerful reservoir of magic that you know as the Core. Except, one day, while I was standing on a dangerous ledge performing work to maintain the Core, I fell into it.”

“Now, my body could not handle all the magic that was in the Core, and it shattered, splitting my consciousness across space and time. However, an interesting thing also happened afterward. You see, I was a monster – one of the very few – who could use shadow magic. There are many types of magic in this world: fire magic, bone magic, weapon magic, machine magic, and countless others. Each of these types of magic is amplified by a particular trait. Fire magic, for example, is at its most powerful when its user is filled with devotion.”

“But Shadow magic is the only type of magic whose powers is amplified by determination. Furthermore, when it manifests, it has the ability to corrupt. It can take control of other types of magic and turn them into shadow magic as well. So, when I fell into the Core, my essence leaked into the massive reservoir of magic that existed there, corrupting it. As a result, for just a tiny moment, though my consciousness had been shattered, I was able to use shadow magic – which had taken over the entire Core – to maintain myself, and give myself a new body.”

The River Person made a strange sound. “Well, it was not a perfect body. In fact, I was not even successful in creating one. Instead, I ended up creating two. Then, with my determination – amplified by all the shadow magic around me – I was able to piece together what remained of my shattered soul, and I lifted myself out of the core. That soul...is exactly what you see when you look at me.”

Frisk was astounded by everything that the River Person had told them. They were speechless for a moment.

“As for the other two bodies...well, I won't reveal to you their identities. But I believe you have met them before.”

“Is this...is this why Killer was able to become so powerful?” Frisk asked. “Because they fell into the Core, which had been corrupted by shadow magic?”

“Yes,” the River Person responded in a sad voice. “Had my essence not leaked in the Core, the magic there would have remained pure. Killer would not have been able to use the massive amounts of determination within themselves to wield all that shadow magic to craft a new form for their soul.”

Chara turned away. “I see. So everything started from you falling into the Core.”

“Chara!” Frisk said, admonishing them. “It isn't their fault! The one who's responsible for everything is still Killer!”

The River Person shook their head.

“Many things would not have happened if I had not fallen into the Core,” they said. “That moment also caused a great number of split in timelines. I cannot imagine what the Underground, or what the world would have looked like had it not occurred.”

Chara looked up at them. “I guess so.”

“And yes, I do feel guilty about it,” the River Person continued. “That is why I have bound myself to the task of protecting the two of you. It is a form of penance.”

“You don't have to treat it as penance,” Frisk said. “And, ummm...thank you.”

“It is fine for me. I am just a wandering soul with no body. There is not much else for me to do.”

“Well, you did start a great cafe,” Chara said, smiling.

“Ah-ha. I suppose I did that, too.”

When they arrived in front of the alley, Frisk began to walk cautiously towards the door, their hand on the worn dagger that they kept hidden inside their pocket. Chara had already taken out their knife.

“How are we going to do this?” Chara asked.

“I guess we just go in and threaten them?”

Chara giggled. “Frisk. I didn't know you could be so hostile.”

“We have the River Person here,” Frisk replied. “They're sure to give the cultists some bad memories.”

Chara arrived at the door. In a swift motion, they kicked the door open.

Frisk and Chara rushed in.

The first thing that struck Frisk was the completely awful smell that pervaded the entire room. It was worse than anything that they had ever smelled before in their entire life. When they saw what was in the room, they instantly understood why.

It was now less of a cult hideout...and more of a complete loser's home.

There was a mountain of empty beer bottles by the entrance of the room. Packages of mouldy takeout food and boxes of rotting, half finished pizza littered the floor. A man was sitting at the back of the room, still dressed in the cult's signature black robes. However, he looked like he was dazed out of his mind. He was surrounded by pieces of broken glass and puddles of drool and vomit and other things that Frisk would rather not have seen.

All in all, this room was utterly disgusting.

“What the hell?!” Chara shouted as they stomped towards the man.

“Oh...heh heh heh heh heh,” the man started laughing. “It's you, again. The deceiver. The enemy of the great shadow! How foolish of you to come stumbling back in here...to the place of your demise...”

Frisk walked up beside Chara. They couldn't help but feel revulsion towards this man. “Look at you. What did you to yourself?”

“Heh heh heh heh heh. The other...they were all unbelievers. Traitors to the great shadow. After...after they were attacked by the shadow magic, they all gave up and left. But not me! No, I am loyal to the great shadow to the very end! Hah hah hah hah hah...when the great shadow comes, I will be their only follower. Every one else shall die. I am the only one who will be saved!” 

Chara shook their head. They pointed the knife at the man's head.

“Tell us,” Chara said in an interrogative voice, “when exactly is this 'great shadow' going to arrive?”

“Pah! Why should I tell you? The two of you are the deceivers...the enemy of my almighty saviour!”

The River Person showed up beside them. 

“Oh, it's you, too!” The man laughed. “Go on. Use your shadow magic! Torture me! When the great shadow comes...you will all die! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Looks like this won't be as easy as I thought,” Frisk whispered to Chara.

A strangely sadistic smile came over Chara's face.

“I'll get the information out of him. Just watch me,” Chara replied.

“What are you going to do?”

“Trust me,” Chara said. “I learned this from a manga.”

“Uh...”

Chara knelt down in front of the man. “You want to have power, don't you? You want to be able to kill us...”

“...You...what?”

To Frisk's shock, Chara picked up a piece of broken glass and placed it into the palm of the man's hand.

“Here you go,” Chara said. “Take this glass shard, if you can.”

The man stared suspiciously at it.

“That wasn't a suggestion,” Chara said, their tone turning deadly. “I told you to take the shard. You're going to take it.”

Chara put their other hand around the man's. Then, they closed the man's hand forcefully around the shard while he was still holding it in his palm, digging it into his flesh. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Blood oozed out. 

“Chara!” Frisk yelled.

“He tortured you, Frisk,” Chara said, turning around. “I won't show him any mercy.”

They closed the man's hand, tighter. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“How do you like it?” Chara asked, grinning. “This feeling of pain. Was this what you were planning to inflict on a child?”

“Chara, stop!”

Chara closed the man's hand, again, pressing the shard deeply into his flesh.

“I'LL TELL YOU, I'LL TELL YOU!” the man screamed. “IT'S ON THE THIRTEENTH!”

“And where are they going to arrive?”

“HAHAHAHA...THEY'RE GOING TO ATTACK THE LABORATORY IN THE DOWNTOWN!”

Frisk froze. 

“NOT LIKE ANY OF THIS MATTERS!!!” the man continued yelling. “YOU CAN'T STOP THEM. WHEN THEY ARRIVE, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BE DEAD! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Chara let go of the man's hand.

“All right,” they said, turning back to face Frisk. “We have what we need. Let's get out of this disgusting hole.”

“That was extreme,” Frisk whispered back.

“I am going to call the police,” the River Person said. “They will take care of this man, and hopefully clean this place up.”

Suddenly, the man lurched forward and vomited. The vomit fell upon Chara's shirt.

The expression on Chara's face became outright murderous.

“YOU...” Chara stood up and kicked the man in the face, smashing his head against the wall. Blood poured out of his nose. They raised their knife.

“Stop!” Frisk said. They took a step forward...

...and slipped on another pile of vomit, falling on top of it.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Frisk screamed, making the greatest cringe that they had ever made in their entire life.

Chara and Frisk stared at each other. Their clothes were both covered in vomit.

* * *

As soon as they were back home, Chara made a dash for the washroom. Frisk sprinted after them and managed to squeeze themselves into the washroom just before Chara closed the door.

“Let me shower first!” Chara yelled at Frisk. “This is so, so, SO disgusting.”

“Your showers take forever!” Frisk shouted back. “I'm not going to spend another minute covered in vomit!”

“Me neither!”

Chara threw the shower curtains aside and turned on the water. 

“Well?” Chara said, turning back to face Frisk. “I was here first!”

“Who cares?”

“I do!”

“We both just want to wash this disgusting vomit off, right?”

Chara's expression turned blank. “Yeah, but we can't just...ummm, we can't both shower at the same time, right?”

Frisk frowned. “I don't care right now.”

“WOW! Ummm, Frisk...” The blush that came over Chara's face was immense. “Frisk, do you really...?”

In response, Frisk pushed Chara aside and jumped into the shower tub. Water soaked them and their clothes.

“There!” Frisk said, glaring. “I'm in here. Now, do you want to get in or not?”

“Ahahaha...” Chara stifled their laughter. “You know, it's fine right now, but that's only because all of your clothes are still on...”

“I'm going to take them off.”

“WH-WH-WH-WHAT?!”

“How old are you?” Frisk asked. “People don't shower with their clothes on.”

“BUT! Frisk!”

Frisk closed the curtains, shutting Chara out. They took off their clothes and threw them out of the bath tub over the curtain pole. “You can come in anytime you like.”

“AHHH! Frisk, you really don't care if I step in...ummm, without my clothes or anything?”

“Do you want to get clean or not?”

“Oh, umm, well...”

A tense expression came over Chara's face as they stared down at their shirt. It was smelly and putrid and utterly repugnant. They looked like they couldn't stand it any longer.

Chara glanced back and forth between Frisk and their shirt. Finally, they gave up.

“FINE!” Chara shouted. “I'm coming in! Don't judge me or anything!”

“Like I care!” Frisk replied. 

Chara took off their clothes and walked into the bathtub. Their face was the reddest Frisk had ever seen. Chara closed the curtain behind them and gulped.

“If you're uncomfortable,” Frisk said, “don't look down. Look at my face instead.”

“Th-th-that's kinda hard!!”

“Then do something else!”

“You're AWFULLY calm about this!”

Frisk had dumped soap all over themselves and was scrubbing the vomit away. They handed the soap bottle to Chara. “Get started. You're still filthy.”

Chara turned away, facing the wall. Whimpering, they closed their eyes and started washing themselves.

It was amusing to Frisk to see Chara get so flustered. Of course, they understood why. But it was endlessly entertaining to play the part of the mature one just to see Chara's reaction to their nonchalance.

This time, however, they may have gone a little overboard. Chara was blushing so deeply Frisk was afraid that they might actually burst (resulting in a nosebleed or whatever...and that was never good when they were in a shower together). 

“Chara,” Frisk said, putting a hand on Chara's shoulder.

“AH!” Chara yelped, spinning around to face Frisk. “Why...why did you just touch me?”

“You don't normally react like that when I touch you.”

“That's because we're not normally NAKED AND IN THE SHOWER TOGETHER!”

“What difference does that make?”

Frisk grinned.

“Well, in any case, maybe we could do something to help you get your mind off...this,” Frisk said. They grabbed the shampoo bottle and handed it to Chara.

“Wh-wh-wh...what's this for?”

“I want you to focus on something,” Frisk said. From experience, they knew that concentrating on a very specific task was a helpful method of removing distractions. “And that's to wash my hair.”

“......WHAT?!?!?!”

Frisk gave them a questioning look. “That wasn't a question. It was an order.”

“HEY! Who said you could order me around?”

“I did.” Frisk smirked at them. “Now, wash my hair, and don't think about anything else. Just focus on the task. I promise you that you'll stop feeling embarrassed after this.”

“I...I, uh, mmmm, FINE. WHATEVER YOU LIKE, FRISK.”

With a shaking hand, Chara took the bottle, opened it, and dumped out shampoo onto the palm of their hand. They rubbed their hands together, took Frisk's long and wet hair, and began scrubbing it.

Frisk couldn't have guessed it, but having their hair washed by someone else was actually a fairly pleasant experience. It was like a massage, only on their head. With the warm water falling over their face, and Chara's fingers pulling and tussling at their hair, they began to experience a sense of calm, tranquil relief. Like all their worries and burdens were being rubbed away.

It could only be made better if Chara's fingers didn't twitch every few seconds.

“Frisk...are you enjoying this?”

“It's relaxing.”

Chara made a sound like a mild giggle.

When Chara was done, Frisk pulled away and stood directly under the shower cap. They spent a minute scrubbing all of the soap out of their hair. 

They turned back around, and saw that the redness on Chara's face had diminished. But only slightly.

Frisk took the shampoo bottle. “All right. Now, it's your turn.”

“WHAT?!”

“Don't be so shocked,” Frisk said, smiling. “I just want to repay the favour!”

“Frisk! You're, y-you're t-too...”

Frisk walked behind Chara and spun them around. “Just stay still.”

“Are y-you...r-really...”

“I'm doing exactly what you did with me.”

“...”

Frisk poured shampoo over their hands, rubbed it, and then began scrubbing Chara's long, thick brown hair. They could sense Chara tensing up as soon as they touched them. Frisk proceeded slowly and gently, so as to not surprise Chara too much. But, as they scrubbed, they saw Chara becoming relaxed as well. Their tension was being released. They were probably realizing that a hair wash was just like a massage. 

When Frisk was done, Chara actually looked relieved.

“Ummm...th-thanks,” Chara whispered.

“No problem!”

Chara stood under the shower cap and scrubbed the soap out of their hair. In the meantime, Frisk finished washing their body, and then swapped places with Chara to rinse themselves off. With their eyes closed, Chara continued washing themselves. They were both finally rid of that filthy vomit.

Once Frisk had finished rinsing, they tapped Chara on the back again, smiling.

“I think I'm done,” Frisk said.

“That's g-good and all,” Chara said, eyes turned upwards. “So...w-wanna get out?” 

“Okay.”

Frisk's put their hand on the curtain. “By the way, thanks for washing my hair.”

“Uh, you're welcome? You said it was an order!”

“I know. I'm thanking you for following through with it.”

Frisk leaned towards Chara and kissed them on the lips.

Chara froze, but relaxed swiftly and kissed back for a short moment. Nevertheless, when Frisk pulled away, they were becoming fully red again.

“Chara?”

“Ummm...”

Frisk turned their eyes away. “I'm sorry. I should have asked.”

“No! I w-was...I was just surprised, that's all!”

“Still. I'll ask next time.”

“Okay.”

“Then, I'm getting out.”

Frisk opened up the curtains, stepped out, and quickly dried themselves off with a towel. They realized that they hadn't brought any other clothing with them into the washroom, and the ones that were vomit-caked were going straight into the garbage.

They wrapped the towel around themselves and walked out.

“If you can hear me, Asriel,” Frisk said as they approached their drawer, “don't open your eyes right now.”

There was no response.

Frisk put on a grey shirt and some white trousers. Then, they grabbed some of Chara's clothing and put it in the washroom.

“...Thanks, Frisk,” Chara said from behind the curtain.

“You're welcome!”

When they walked out, they saw that Asriel's face had reappeared upon the flower.

“...I briefly saw the two of you going into the washroom together,” Asriel began saying. “I will assume that I don't need to hear what happened?”

Frisk shrugged. “We just washed each others' hair.”

Asriel looked bewildered. “Spare me the details.”

“Okay.”

Frisk sat down on a chair and grabbed their phone. There was still something important that they had to do.

“Who're you calling?” Asriel asked.

“I got some information out of the people that tried to kidnap me,” Frisk answered. “It's related to Killer.”

“Oh?”

“I need to call Alphys. In three days, Killer is going to attack her laboratory, and we have to be prepared.”

Asriel looked worried. “Just three days?”

“Yeah. We don't have much time to prepare.”

Frisk dialed Alphys' number and waited for her to pick up.

There was a strangely heavy feeling in their heart. They weren't sure why, but they were beginning to feel quite anxious. 

Three days.

Just three days, and they might all have to fight Killer again.

They still had the upper hand in this world. They could reset with Chara. Killer wouldn't attack unless they some plan or trick up their sleeve. And, whatever that plan was, they had to be ready to counter it. 

In the worst scenario, Killer's plan would render them unable to reset.

If that was the case, then – in three days – they would truly be fighting their final battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may now dunk me into a trash can.
> 
> Anyways, the next three chapters will be the finale of this arc! I will still be updating regularly, though, as I prefer doing that to releasing all three chapters at once.


	31. Don't Give Up

It happened on the thirteenth of the first month, as they had anticipated. However, there was a twist.

Frisk woke up in the morning, feeling an awful sense of dread, and opened up their laptop. It was all over the news. There was an attack on the city downtown by an unknown perpetrator. It started with an explosion in the downtown mall. As people started fleeing, a mysterious, black, and impenetrable substance began to spread out from the source of the explosion, covering the walls, floor, and ceiling. Eventually, it had overtaken the whole mall, and now there was a thick and dense cloud of black surrounding the entire building.

There was a live stream of the event by reporters. Police were all over the scene, and many of them were dashing into the mall to find out what was going on. According to the reporters, not one of them had come back out. People everywhere were panicking, with some already screaming about an impending doomsday. More than a few monsters were fleeing for their lives as humans started accusing them of using destructive magic to terrorize the city. 

“Chara,” Frisk said, shaking their body to wake them up.

Fortunately, Chara was quick to snap awake when Frisk showed them the live stream of the attack.

“The cultist gave us the wrong place,” Frisk said. “It isn't the laboratory. Killer attacked the downtown mall instead.”

“It's chaos out there,” Chara said, staring in shock at the stream. “Should we reset?”

Frisk nodded. “It looks like the best thing we can do right now. If we go back, then we can warn Alphys that the attack is going to happen at the mall.”

“Wait. Isn't Killer aware of our resets?” Chara said. “What if they change their location of attack once we've reseted?”

“That's true,” Frisk replied. They looked at the screen again, wondering what they could do.

They could wait. Sans had already warned the government about Killer, and with the codes for the signal that Alphys had given them, they could verify the identity of the attacker. Then, every nuclear weapon in the country would be aimed at Killer. As many people as possible would be evacuated within twenty four hours, and then the military's entire nuclear arsenal would be launched.

The destructive impact of that many nuclear weapons striking at once would not only disintegrate the city, but it would most likely spread out far beyond the site of impact and flatten everything within a huge radius. The fallout would probably end life on the planet. Even if it did manage to destroy Killer, the world would no longer be a habitable place. The best scenario would be that every survivor relocated to the underground. The worst scenario...

Everyone dies. 

It was an impossible risk. The last of all last resorts. Sans probably did not ever want to see such a plan come to fruition. He must have placed his trust in them and Chara to think of something else. To find some other way to stop Killer and save the world. They had to try, and exhaust, every other possible option imaginable.

“We're resetting,” Frisk urged. “If anything, we can go back with more information. We know what Killer is going to do now.”

“All right,” Chara said. "Let's do it."

Frisk held Chara's hand. They closed their eyes and thought of going back, of returning the world to an earlier state. As usual, reality around them began to fade. They felt the physical world disappearing and themselves retreating further and further away from it until they were flying through a tunnel of time, the past as their destination. 

Opening up their eyes, Frisk saw the wall ahead. A massive cluster of shadows. They could sense Killer's presence. Killer was definitely close by, watching them.

But Chara was here. They were still holding hands, resetting together. The two of them flew through the wall, shattering it with their determination. The shadows started to disintegrate and fade into nothingness. They saw a light up ahead. It was the end of the tunnel. They were flying towards it, flying back to an earlier time...

Frisk opened their eyes.

Outside, it looked like early morning. The sun was just beginning to rise.

“What?!” Chara exclaimed, staring at the clock in their room. “We barely reset back two hours!”

“Killer's determination must have increased,” Frisk whispered apprehensively. “They stopped us from going too far back.”

“When were they going to attack?”

“The news said the explosion occurred at eight twenty-three,” Frisk replied.

The time on the clock was seven fifteen.

“Let's call Alphys,” Chara said, grabbing their phone. Frisk nodded.

Chara dialed Alphys' number and waited. Several rings later, there was no response.

“Huh?!”

Chara dialed a second time. Again, no response. They were redirected to leave a message.

“Alphys, you – you dirtbag!” Chara yelled. “You said you were going to be up all night! Why aren't you answering the phone? We have important information!”

“Let me try,” Frisk said, taking out their phone.

They dialed Alphys. No response. Then, they called Sans, and then Undyne. No response from any of them.

“SHIT!” Chara shouted. “What's going on here?!”

“I don't know,” Frisk said. They were beginning to tremble. “Something weird's happening.”

“What do we do?!”

Frisk tried to calm themselves down. Right now, panicking was not going to solve anything. They took a deep breath. “Chara. We might have to go stop Killer ourselves.”

“Huh?”

“I know this sounds selfish, but we can't rely on them,” Frisk said. They hated saying something so cynical. “Killer wants to fight us. That's probably the only reason why they're attacking the downtown mall. It's to spread terror, which will draw us in. Unfortunately, we'll have to give them what they want. We can't let so many innocent people die. We have to stop them.”

Chara's expression turned bleak. “Frisk. Do you...do you really think we have to do this by ourselves?”

“I don't want to, either,” Frisk said, lowering their head. “But, since we can't contact our friends, what else can we do right now?”

“What if we wait?”

“Then Killer gets the advantage. Who knows how far back we can reset the next time we do it? Maybe they're steadily eroding our determination, so that we end up resetting back less and less each time we try. Right now, we still have time.” Frisk pointed at the clock. “Killer's going to attack in just over an hour. We can take the subway to get downtown in twenty-five minutes. If we hurry, we could still stop them!”

“I...I suppose you're right.”

“Then, let's not wait any longer. We have to get going.”

Frisk and Chara grabbed their jackets and put them on. As they went to the door, they head a voice come from behind them.

“Chara. Frisk.”

They turned around. It was Asriel.

“I heard what happened,” Asriel said. He mustered up a smile. “Whatever you do...come out alive, okay? Save the world. For me. For everyone.”

Frisk smiled back. “Thank you.”

“Do your best out there. You've gone up against impossible odds before, like...like when you fought me. I know you can do it again. I trust you two. You're both the best.”

Chara looked like they were about to cry. “Asriel, thank y-”

“I've wasted your time,” Asriel said, shaking his head. “Don't talk to me. Go!”

“Yes.”

They hurried out the door. It was freezing cold outside, but that didn't matter right now. Both of them began running towards the train station. A frigid wind blew against Frisk's face. It stung like needles. They could barely feel their face anymore. 

When they reached the train station, it was seven forty. The station was already flowing with people.

“Line twenty-seven, right?” Frisk said, hurrying in the direction of the subways.

“When's the next one?”

“Seven forty-five!”

They paid their fare and got to their destination in three minutes. It was an anxious wait of four minutes for the subway to arrive (it was always late). When it did, they hurried inside and grabbed seats beside each other.

“Frisk,” Chara whispered, “what's your plan for when we get there?”

“We'll hurry to the mall,” Frisk answered. “The news said the explosion occurred at the fountain at the centre of the mall. We'll wait for it to happen, then confront Killer.”

“Isn't that kind of dangerous?”

“We'll hide somewhere,” Frisk said. “If either of us get injured, we'll immediately reset.”

“...Okay.”

The next twenty-five minutes were the most nerve-wracking in Frisk's life. They had never felt so tense before. Their foot started to shake, gathering looks from people around them. They closed their eyes, breathing in deeply. 

Nasty thoughts started to come into their mind. Killer may have changed their plan and decided to attack earlier. Maybe the explosion had already happened. Maybe they were in the subway tunnels right now, ready to destroy the train. Maybe they were already inside the train, searching for them, ready to strike-

“Frisk.”

Frisk felt Chara's hand holding theirs.

“You're shaking so badly,” Chara whispered. “It's...it's going to be okay, you know?”

Frisk gripped Chara's hand tightly, holding onto it as if for dear life.

“It's going to be okay,” Frisk repeated, even though they didn't exactly believe it.

Chara nodded. “I mean, I don't really think so, but I wa-”

“Thank you,” Frisk said.

“...Okay.”

When the train arrived at their destination, the two of them hurried out and sprinted to the exit of the station.

Cold air struck their faces as they arrived back onto the street. Checking their phone, Frisk saw that it was eight sixteen. They had exactly seven minutes left.

They dashed to the entrance of the mall, which was close by the station exit. Even in the early morning, the inside of the mall was ridiculously crowded. The time was eight nineteen. Four minutes left. They continued running.

At eight twenty-one, the fountain came into sight. It was on the first floor. They descended the nearest escalator, and now were standing in front of it.

“Where do we hide?” Chara asked.

Frisk looked around. There were so many people. 

“That store over there!”

They rushed into a nearby bookstore and shuffled up behind the door. Both of them turned to look at a desk that was full of books and pretended to be browsing them.

“Eight twenty-two, thirty-six seconds,” Frisk whispered, glancing at their phone. “It could happen any time now.”

“Let's get ready.”

“Right. When the explosion happens, we look at where it came from. If Killer's there, we charge them.”

Chara nodded and put their hand in their pocket. “I'm ready.”

Frisk felt for the worn dagger in their own pocket as well. Eight twenty-two, forty-nine seconds. Just eleven seconds left.

“Ready.”

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. On-

There was an enormous burst. A huge gust of air struck Frisk and Chara, nearly toppling them over. The sound was like that of a bomb being set off. Books went flying off the table. Windows shattered.

They quickly got up to their feet and looked out the store.

It was there. The fountain was completely destroyed. Water and debris covered the floor. Where the fountain once stood was now just a giant hole in the ground. And, pouring out of that hole: a deep, creeping, black substance, spreading out in all directions.

Everyone started screaming.

“Let's go!” Frisk said, pointing at the hole.

“What? Killer isn't there!”

“We can't wait for them!” Frisk replied, feeling an immense surge of adrenaline. “Let's jump down the hole! If we die, we just reset!”

Chara's eyes grew wide. “Frisk-”

“Now!”

Frisk grabbed Chara's hand and dashed towards the hole. 

They didn't even bother to think. As they found themselves rushing up to the edge of the hole, they jumped.

Chara jumped with them.

They closed their eyes as they fell, expecting their lives to end at any second. But, to their surprise, their feet landed on...something. They opened up their eyes. 

The place was indescribable.

All around them was a creeping, shifting, twisting mass of shadows. Where there were gaps in the shadows, they saw vague outlines of a grey stone wall. The floor kept moving. It was like trying to stand on a ground covered by giant, writhing worms. 

They guessed that they must have landed in an underground area below the mall. Except this whole place was now covered with Killer's shadows.

“What now?!” Chara asked.

At once, it seemed as if the place itself became aware of their presence.

Frisk remembered. The shadows were all part of Killer's soul, part of the thousands or millions of monster essences that Killer had absorbed when they rampaged through the underground. From all of the twisting black mass, body parts began to appear. Arms. Legs. Tails. Claws. Wings. Fangs. Mouths. Teeth.

Behind them, and below their feet, a cluster of solid black eyes appeared. 

“RUN!” Frisk yelled.

They began sprinting down in one direction. The shadows started to chase after them. It was like the black substance was slowly coming off the walls, transforming into sharp, thrashing limbs, and each of those limbs were climbing and swimming over each other in an attempt to reach them. Chara and Frisk ran as fast as they could. Frisk felt their heart pounding so heavily that they thought it might burst out of their chest.

The hallway, or whatever kind of room they were in, started to angle downwards. Grey stone walls became replaced by brown dirt ones. The floor levelled, and they reached an intersection. Grabbing Frisk's hand, Chara turned sharply to the left. Frisk followed after them without a second thought. Ahead, there were more dark brown walls, but now there were also bright electric lamps hanging upon them.

They were in the tunnels again.

The shadows were still chasing after them. The electric lamps became covered by them and were extinguished one by one. They reached stairs and began descending down. Fear and terror struck Frisk as they remembered the length of this descent. The stairs went downwards forever. They could not even see the bottom.

It went down, and down, and down, and all the while they heard rumbling around them, the rumbling of those chasing shadows. They didn't bother to look back. There was no time to. They just had to keep running until they either reached a dead end (in which case, they were done for) or until they found Killer.

Suddenly, Frisk lost their footing and tripped. They went tumbling down the stairs. 

“FRISK!” Chara shouted.

Frisk stopped their fall by grabbing onto a rock jutting out of the wall. A tendril of a shadow burst out of the wall, enveloping their hand. Frisk tried to stand up, but they couldn't move their hand.

“FRISK!” Chara ran up beside Frisk and grabbed their hand and began pulling it.

Frisk's mind was spinning. They were panting so quickly that they felt ready to pass out. Their hand wouldn't budge.

They turned around for just a second. Behind them, blackness coated everything. Eyes and mouths and teeth were emerging out of all the walls. Within moments, the shadows would arrive and cover them. They would be swamped with those...things. It would be certain death.

“Reset,” Frisk whispered. “Reset!”

“AH!”

With a surprising amount of force, Chara pulled their hand out from the shadow.

Frisk stared at their hand, amazed that it was still there at the end of their arm and in one piece. Then, they turned around. The shadows were inches away.

They jumped and sprinted.

Down the stairs they went, running at top speed for longer than they had ever run before. Frisk pushed themselves to their limit. Their heart was punching against their chest. Their arms and their legs screamed for rest. Their lungs felt like they were about to explode. Still, they kept running.

Chara was doing the same.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the bottom of the stairs. Ahead of them was a long, dark tunnel. But there was an opening at the end of the tunnel. An opening filled with light.

“GO!” Frisk shouted.

They sprinted. The physical needs of their battered body no longer mattered. All they knew was that they had to reach the end of the tunnel. There was nothing else to think about. Run, run and keep running. Pure determination. 

All around them, the walls began to change. Shadows engulfed everything. They saw the limbs reaching out for them at the edge of their vision. The walls were all turning black. 

Holes of blackness, emerging in spiral shapes, getting ever larger and larger. The shadows spun around them, creating webs. Webs of black, expanding outward, coalescing and amalgamating together and forming so many twisting and writhing and swirling shapes. Still, the shadows chased. They hunted and enveloped and flooded and consumed everything.

The end of the tunnel was just up ahead.

With a final burst of strength, Frisk and Chara sprinted at top speed, jumping as they saw the shadows rising out of the floor to trap them. They shot past the end of the tunnel and landed with a thud on hard, cold stone floor. 

Shadows burst out of the floor, trapping their arms, their legs, their bodies, and even their faces. They could only look up. Looking at the figure that was approaching them.

Killer.

“Well done,” Killer said, walking towards them and clapping their hands.

Frisk's eyes darted around, trying to observe where they were. The room was enormous. The ceiling was so high that they could barely even see it. And, all around them, the walls were made of black stone.

“It's been such a long time since we've last met, hasn't it?” Killer said, standing in front of Frisk and Chara. There was a knife in their hands. “I must congratulate you for successfully escaping from every trap that I've laid. In fact, the two of you are so persistent, you've even managed to run all the way down to the Core of the underground!”

Frisk's eyes grew wide.

“Yes, yes, this is the Core,” Killer said, making a sweeping motion with their hands. “You must be wondering where all the magic electricity and whatnot went. Well. To be frank, this is where it all went.”

Shadows swarmed the walls of the room. Eyes and mouths and teeth and thousands of faces emerged out from them. The entire room was now black.

“I absorbed it,” Killer continued, giggling. “I've absorbed all the energy of the Core of this world, and the Core of every other world. The amount of power is staggering. There was never any hope for you to begin with. You thought you could make a difference by confronting me, by going all the way down here. But, what can you do, really? Did you really think you could even scratch me?”

“We still have more determination,” Frisk said. “We'll just reset.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that,” Killer replied, pointing their knife down at Frisk's face. “Sure, you can reset. But what can you really do? I will be there every time, a wall in your path. I will stop you from going back far enough to do anything meaningful. Yes, you'll win yourself safety, if only for just a moment. But then, I'll just attack again. I'll attack the city and kill everyone. You'll fall into my hands, no matter what you do. It's not a question of if. It's a question of when. And, the longer you wait, the less you will be able to go back!”

Frisk struggled to break free from the shadows that bound them. But they couldn't even move an inch.

“Oh, and don't think your country's little 'nuclear arsenal' is going to stop me,” Killer said. “I've absorbed FAR too much power from my fun escapades into the other timelines. The amount of magical power in one Core itself greatly supersedes the energy output of a nuclear bomb. Maybe, if you're lucky, the bombs will be able to put a tiny dent in my shadows. But, more likely, they'll just wreck everything on the surface. And then, you'll realize too late that I'm still alive, and I'll come back out to consume everything!”

“How...many...timelines are left?” Frisk tried to say.

“You're worried about that?!” Killer said. They laughed. “I've gotten rid of all of the easy ones. There's just the 'pacifist' timelines left, the ones where all the monsters make it to the surface. But, don't worry. I'll go after them, too, once I've finished with this world. You see, this was a particularly annoying timeline to deal with. The combined determination of you and Chara together was a massive hindrance to my progress.”

Killer leaned down. “Well. If you want to reset, you should do it now. You're delusional if you think you can take me on. But, it won't make a difference. Like I said, I will destroy everything. I will kill everything. I will consume all life in this world and every other world and every other timeline until my soul is the only thing left in existence. I will be greater than anything imaginable. I will make my soul the universe itself!”

Frisk struggled and pushed and kicked. They tried to go back. They tried to make the world disappear. But it didn't work. Their determination was fading.

Perhaps Killer was right. Perhaps it really was the end, and nothing they could do would ever be able to stop them. Perhaps Killer really had won after all.

“Can't reset?” Killer said. “I knew it.”

“NO!” Chara shouted.

“Well, this was a lot easier than I had envisioned,” Killer said, standing back up. “Looks like I'm done here. It's time to die!”

The shadows surrounding Frisk and Chara rose up, and each transformed into the shape of a knife, tips pointed at them. 

“Say your last goodbyes!” Killer shouted, laughing.

The shadows closed in, raised up, and-

A massive wave of purple fire shot into the room. It incinerated the shadows, freeing Frisk and Chara from their bonds, and then swarmed around Killer. With a shocked expression, Killer backed away as the fires closed in upon them.

Astounded, Frisk and Chara returned to their feet. Frisk turned around.

Toriel rushed in the room.

“Do not be afraid, my children,” Toriel said, taking Frisk and Chara into her arms. “I am here to protect you.”

Frisk couldn't believe their eyes. Toriel was here. Their mother had come for them.

“Mother!” Chara said, burying themselves into her hug.

“Mom!”

“My children. You should not have to fight against our enemy alone. No matter what happens, I will fight alongside you.”

The fires vanished around Killer. They stepped forward, and the shadows materialized around them once more.

“You think that pathetic attack will stop me?”

“No, but this will!”

A wave of spears and bones shot out of the tunnel and towards Killer. They were struck and thrown backwards to the ground.

Undyne and Sans walked up beside Toriel.

“Hey, kid. Sorry for the wait,” Sans said.

Undyne grinned. “Alphys called us all here!” 

“Undyne...Sans! You too!” Chara exclaimed.

Frisk felt themselves trembling. Their friends were here. They were really all-

“You idiots!”

Killer stood back up. Waves and waves of shadows swirled around them. Black electricity crackled through the air. They raised a hand. “I'll end all of you!”

A huge pillar of bones, surrounded by wreathes of fire, burst out of the tunnel and blasted Killer's shadows, throwing them back once more.

“NOT IF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!”

Papyrus sauntered into the room, a bony hand upon his hip, smiling gleefully. Walking up beside him was Alphys.

And, behind them, Asgore.

Frisk let go of Toriel.

They were here. Their old friends were all back.

“Sorry, Frisk,” Asgore said, walking towards them. “It's been a while. I guess I, uh, should've visited more?”

“DAD!” Chara shouted, running up towards Asgore and throwing a hug around him.

The look on Asgore's face was of pure astonishment.

“Chara!!”

“You're all here...you're really all here,” Frisk whispered.

Toriel. Sans. Undyne. Papyrus. Alphys. Asgore.

“That's right!” Alphys said. “I could n-never let you fight Killer alone! So I spent the past two d-days gathering everybody, and we all rushed here as soon as we saw the explosion!”

She took out a device like a laser gun. “Of c-course, I'm going to fight too!”

Chara was already sniffing. “Everyone...I'm so glad...”

Frisk blinked back tears.

“My children, we will all stand by you,” Toriel said. “We will all protect you.”

“HA!” Killer shouted, standing back up. “So, there's eight of you now. That won't make any difference!”

Frisk stared back at them. “Even if there's only eight of us-”

“Who said there's only eight of us?” Sans interrupted. 

“Kid,” Undyne spoke up. “Take another look!”

Frisk heard footsteps. They turned around.

Tears welled up again in their eyes.

It was everyone. Everyone.

Froggit. Whimsun. Loox. Napstablook. Vegetoid. Moldsmal. Migosp. Snowdrake. Doggo. Ice Cap. Lesser Dog. Dogamy. Dogaressa. Gyftrot. Glyde. Greater Dog. Aaron. Woshua. Shyren. Mad Dummy. Temmie. MoldBygg. Vulkin. Tsundereplane. Pyrope. Royal Guard 01 and 02. Muffet. Madjick. Knight Knight. Whimsalot. Astigmatism. Final Froggit. Mettaton. The River Person.

“You can do it!'

“I believe in you!”

“Ribbit, ribbit!”

“oh no...the human is crying...because we all came...”

“We'll defeat them!”

“You got this!”

“'Ice' to help out!”

“It's our final chance!”

“Woof, woof!”

“Come on!”

“La la la!”

“tem HATE bad shadows!”

“Let's beat them up!”

"It's n-n-not like I came all the way here to fight alongside you or anything!"

“We are all, like, gonna fight together and stuff!”

“Ahuhuhu...”

“You've GOT to win!”

“We're with you too!”

“I remembered to install defensive upgrades!”

“All together now!”

Tears fell freely from Frisk's eyes.

They turned back around.

Killer was staring at them, shocked.

“You've caused enough trouble for every human and every monster,” Asgore said, taking out his trident. “It's time for this to end!”

“This laser g-gun can burn every shadow!”

“I, the Great Papyrus, will attempt to convince you that killing the entire world is wrong! Unless you still try to do it, and you also hurt my friends, in which case, I will just have to fight you as well!”

“Our hearts are all beating as one. Together, we can't lose!”

“Heh...I'm not going to pull any punches this time.”

“I will protect my children!”

Frisk smiled and wiped away their tears. Chara did the same, and they stood together.

They were all going to fight.

This was their final and decisive battle.


	32. No Dust

“Sorry to crash the party,” Killer said, stepping forward. “Unfortunately, all of you are going to die.”

“You can't win against all of us!” Undyne shouted back.

A sinister smile came over Killer's expression.

“Oh? Can't I?”

The shadows around the room began to move erratically. Limbs and eyes and mouths starting twitching and slipping off the walls, falling onto the ground and melting into puddles of blackness. The puddles began to crawl towards Killer, forming a circle around them, until they were surrounded by a spinning whirlpool of melted shadows.

“Let's make one thing clear,” Killer said, grinning. “You can try to fight me. But, compared to the total power that I've accumulated, you're all less than insects. I will crush you with just an insignificant fraction of my full strength. You will die so quickly, you will laugh at yourself for thinking you ever had a chance in the first place.”

“Shut up!” Undyne yelled. “Let's attack!”

“Wait!” Frisk said, holding Undyne back.

Killer's smile grew wide. The shadows spinning around their feet began to grow.

“Don't worry,” Killer said. “When this is all over, you will be absorbed into my soul. All of you, and the rest of the universe, will become a part of me. It's not so bad, when you think about it. Look at how these shadows obey me. Look at how they bend so easily to my will – these shadows, these essences of all the monsters that I've killed!”

There was a gleam in Killer's eyes. “So, you want to see my true power? Well then, in that case, I won't hold back. But don't blame me if you can't handle it!”

Frisk stood guard.

An instant later, there was a massive explosion from beneath Killer. A gust of wind shot outwards, and the floor rumbled, as if shook by an earthquake. 

The shadows beneath Killer's feet were merging together, growing solid. As their semi-liquid, wormlike state began to solidify, they increased exponentially in size. Killer rose up from the ground. Beneath them, the shadows coalesced to form a tall and bulky shape like the trunk of a tree. Only, instead of branches, what formed along the trunk were hideous abominations. Hundreds and thousands of monster body parts, all meshed together, protruded outwards from the core of the shadow column like parasitic growths.

Sharp, razor-teethed mouths and bulging eyeballs bleeding blackness appeared along the trunk. The branches spread outwards in every direction, like tentacles, until they smashed into the walls. Within seconds, the trunk had exploded into a fully grown tree that covered the entirety of the room. Where there should be leaves, there were amalgamates of twisted, screaming faces. Each branch was covered in thousands of flailing limbs. At the top of the tree, the shadows had fused together to form a solid black platform for Killer to stand upon.

Killer stood near the ceiling of the room, far, far above them.

“Can't say I didn't warn you!” Killer shouted down at them.

Frisk glanced nervously back and forth between all of their friends. But, to their surprise, they saw that their friends' expressions hadn't changed a bit. They were all resolved to fight. They were all filled with determination.

Chara held Frisk's hand.

“Let's do it,” Chara said. “Let's get to Killer.”

“Climb the tree?!”

“Yes.”

Undyne raised her spear. “ATTACK!”

At once, everyone began charging towards the tree. Holding Chara's hand, Frisk dashed towards the base of the trunk. 

The branches of the tree, as if a single unit, responded at once. Something burst out of them. Frisk looked up and saw a barrage of dark, shadowy arrows raining down.

Undyne ran up beside Frisk and held her shield over theirs and Chara's head. Arrows clattered against it.

“I believe in you, kid,” Undyne said, grinning. “We'll help you get up there. Once you do, you have to destroy Killer!”

Chara smiled. “I will.”

Frisk nodded.

They reached the base of trunk. Frisk looked back. Several monsters, including Froggit, had already been speared by the arrows and were now lying on the ground. But there was no time for remorse. They were in the middle of their most desperate battle. They had to concentrate on their goal of reaching Killer.

Frisk and Chara grabbed onto the trunk and began climbing at once. The trunk was disgusting to touch, but its uneven surface provided excellent hand and footholds. 

Instantly, claws and talons and fangs emerged out from the tree and began slashing at them. Frisk leaned back just in time to avoid a swipe. They looked to their right, where Chara was. Chara had taken out their knife and was slicing through all the limbs grabbing for them. Frisk began to do the same, with their worn dagger. They stabbed it into the trunk, and then used it to propel themselves up.

A cluster of thin tentacles burst out of the tree and wrapped around their hand and their knife, trapping them.

“Chara!”

“Hold on!” Chara shouted. They stepped onto a claw and tried to turn to their left to face Frisk. But the claw grabbed their foot, and two more tentacles emerged out of the tree, trapping Chara's hands.

Fireballs blasted against the tree. The fire spread methodically, avoiding Frisk and Chara, but burning the claw and tentacles that were trapping them. They were released. Frisk looked back down.

“Frisk!” Asgore called out, slashing the trunk with his trident. “You can do it! For the future of monsters, and humans – no, for all life in the world!”

Frisk nodded.

From the trident, a massive column of fire burst out upwards. Limbs and fangs and talons were all incinerated, clearing a path.

“And Chara!” Asgore yelled. “I've missed you so much! I know we haven't had much time to talk to each other, but I still believe in you!”

“Dad!” Chara called back. “Thank you!'

Frisk turned to face Chara. They nodded.

The two of them began climbing again. They had almost reached the first branch. It loomed above them ominously – a giant, disgusting pile of body parts. But, once they reached it, they would finally have a place to stand.

Frisk began climbing, faster, stabbing and slashing at the trunk with their dagger. The branch above them seemed to have noticed. A conglomerate of limbs dropped out of the branch and fell towards Frisk. They let go of their current foot hold and swerved to their left. The limbs barely missed them.

“Frisk!” Chara yelled, slashing their knife into the base of the branch. “I'm here! Grab my hand!”

“Okay!”

Frisk reached out with their free hand for Chara's. All of a sudden, a giant mouth appeared out of the trunk in the space between them. Its lips were lined with teeth. It crunched down-

A bone flew up towards them and into the mouth. The teeth crunched upon the bone, but the bone remained in one piece, while the teeth shattered. 

“That is my special attack!” Papyrus yelled. “Nothing can break the ultimate bone!”

Frisk looked down at him and gave him a thumbs up. Then, they grabbed Chara's hand and hopped up onto the branch.

The limbs covering the branch began flailing, slapping at their feet. Chara slashed them away with their knife, clearing a space for themselves. However, more grew out of the shadows, and began closing in on them again.

Chara looked up at the branches above them.

“Climbing's going to be too slow,” they said. “We have to try hopping on the branches.”

“Every branch is going to attack us,” Frisk replied. “It might be too dangerous.”

“Still. If we don't try, it'll take us forever to get to the top!”

Chara cupped their hands. “Here. Jump to the branch right above us, then lift me up.”

Frisk nodded. “All right.”

They stepped onto Chara's hands, then quickly jumped up and grabbed onto the branches.

Instantly, a cluster of tentacles materialized out of the shadows and trapped Frisk's hands. Frisk struggled to break free of them, but to no avail. The tentacles hung them by their arms, dangling them over the edge of the branch.

A streak of lightning blasted the branch, incinerating the tentacles. Frisk found their grip again, and pulled themselves up. They looked and saw Mettaton floating beside them in a new form which had wings on his back. His right arm had been transformed into some sort of a cannon.

“Need some help, darling?”

Frisk nodded. “You can fly us up, right?”

“Hey! Get me up there, too!” Chara yelled.

Mettaton flew towards the branches and took Frisk and Chara into his hands. The branches began to thicken as he ascended. Arrows rained down upon him.

A cage of bones materialized around Mettaton, deflecting the arrows from hitting Frisk or Chara. There was suddenly the sound of an explosion. Struck by lasers, the branches were incinerated one by one.

“I knew this g-gun would work!” Alphys yelled from below.

“Alphys, darling,” Mettaton shouted back. “Have more confidence, my dear! Your inventions always work!”

Sans rushed up beside Alphys. Blasters materialized behind him and began shooting additional lasers to destroy the branches. 

“You can do it!” Sans yelled.

Frisk and Chara nodded.

Near the top, the branches had fused together to form an enormous web whose spaces were too large for Mettaton to pass through. Mettaton dropped them off on one of these branches.

“You've done great so far,” Mettaton said, winking at them. “But the show must go on! Break a leg, dears.”

“Thank you,” Frisk replied, as Mettaton began flying away.

Chara suddenly grabbed Frisk's arms.

“When we get to the top,” Chara whispered, “we're going to have to fight Killer.”

“Yeah?”

Chara lowered their head. “Killer won't show us any mercy. That means...we can't show them any mercy, either.”

“I know...”

“So, Frisk.” Chara looked into Frisk's eyes. “You will have to fight them. Promise me that, if you have to do it – to save yourself, or to save me, or everyone else – you will kill them when you have the opportunity.”

Frisk paused.

They turned and look down below, down at the battlefield, where everyone was still fighting. The floor was littered with the bodies of fallen monsters. There were those who had been slashed to ribbons by claws, those who had been riddled with holes from the arrows, those who had been crushed by the tentacles, and those who had been blown to pieces by the branches. All around them, monsters were dying. They were dying just so that the two of them could reach the top and confront Killer.

Frisk looked back at Chara and nodded.

“I will.”

“Thanks, Frisk.”

They turned their heads upwards. To their horror, the branches were all converging together, forming a roof. The spaces between them were diminishing. Neither of them could fit through now.

“What do we do?!” Chara asked.

Frisk raised their dagger and began slashing at the branches. A tentacle reached out and wrapped around the dagger. For just an instant, Frisk lost their grip on their weapon. The tentacle lifted the dagger out of their hand and tossed it away.

It fell down far below.

“No!”

“We still have my knife!” Chara said. “Let's think about this.”

A moment later, a column of purple fire shot upwards and blasted into the branches, burning them. A hole appeared, just big enough for them to fit through.

“My children!” Toriel shouted from far below. “Do not worry about us. Go!”

Chara smiled at her, even though she probably couldn't see. “Thank you!”

“Mom! Thanks!” Frisk yelled.

At once, Frisk and Chara hopped and grabbed onto the edges of the hole. They pulled themselves up. 

Now, the two of them were standing at the top of the branches. They were at the roof of the tree, on a solid platform. It was a giant ring. 

And, in front of them, Killer.

“Well done,” Killer said, grinning. “Your tenacity never fails to amuse me. This is probably the most entertainment I'll ever get out of a single timeline!”

“Shut up!” Chara shouted, raising their knife. “I'll kill you!”

Killer took out their own knife as well.

“Two against one? This hardly seems fair, if you ask me.”

“Stand back,” Chara said to Frisk. “Killer's going to go after you since you're unarmed. I'll defend you. Only attack if you see a clear opening.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Don't worry about me,” Chara said, cracking a smile. “I can handle myself.”

“All right.”

Frisk stood guard while Chara stepped forward.

Killer smiled. “Well then. Let's see how good you are, 'Chara'!”

Slowly, Chara and Killer began to circle each other. Frisk followed Chara, always standing behind them. They observed Chara and Killer's motions, wondering which of them was going to attack first. Chara seemed the more agitated of the two, while Killer was calm and collected. But there was a vicious glint in Killer's eye.

Killer struck first.

They sprinted forward and lifted up their knife. Chara dodged out of the way, stepping to their left. Killer spun around and jumped after Chara. Their knives clashed against each other. Chara took a step back, assuming a defensive pose. Killer smiled.

“Not bad.”

“Shut up!”

Killer dashed at them again and swung the knife at their head. Chara ducked, then slashed at Killer's chest. Killer's other hand stopped Chara's by grabbing their wrist. Then, Killer threw Chara backwards, and Chara crashed to the ground.

Frisk was already behind Killer, kicking them in the legs. However, Killer noticed them quickly enough to evade. They spun around quickly. A malicious grin came upon Killer's face as they saw that Frisk was completely unarmed. With their knife pointed forward, they charged. Frisk timed the exact moment in their head that they would have to dodge. 

When it came, they sidestepped, and Killer's knife barely missed their face.

“You're dealing with ME!” Chara yelled, having returned to their feet. Frisk backed away as Chara dashed at them.

Killer met Chara's blow again, their knives clashing in mid air. But, again, Killer was the quicker. They kicked Chara in the shin, and Chara hopped back to rebalance themselves. Killer took advantage of this moment and swung a slash at Chara's neck. Chara leaned back, and the knife brushed through the air, inches away from slicing them. Chara took another step back and into a stable pose.

“Too slow!”

Without pausing, Killer had lunged at them again. Chara dodged by jumping to the right. Killer skid to a stop and pivoted their foot. However, Chara was the quicker this time. They jumped at Killer, knife aimed at their head. Killer ducked, grabbed Chara's arm, and raised their knife. In response, Chara kicked Killer's legs, temporarily catching them off balance. Chara broke free of Killer's grip and dove towards them again.

Knives clashed for a third time.

Chara took a step back, as did Killer. The two of them began circling each other again. Frisk returned themselves to standing behind Chara.

“You're a fighter,” Killer whispered. “But I can tell that you're out of practice.”

“I told you to shut up!”

“What if I don't?”

Chara sprinted towards Killer again. Killer stepped to the side, then slashed at Chara's arm. The tip of Killer's blade caught Chara's left arm, slicing through their shirt and scratching their skin. A line of red appeared. Chara turned around, furious. They lunged at Killer again, but Killer just stepped to the side once more. Killer raised their knife-

Frisk grabbed their arm from behind and punched Killer in the head. In response, Killer threw their head back, striking Frisk as well. Frisk staggered back. Killer turned around to attack again, but Chara had grabbed them as well, immobilizing their knife arm.

“Go!” Chara shouted. “Punch them 'til they're bloody!”

It was something Frisk would never have considered doing to anybody before.

But, seeing all the monsters that had fallen down fighting, and knowing about all the timelines that had been destroyed, they suddenly felt their blood boiling. Rage welled up inside them.

Frisk stepped forward and punched Killer in the face.

Once, then twice, then three times. Blood spurted out of Killer's nose and mouth.

Frisk wished they still had their tough glove.

They raised their hand for a fourth punch, but was suddenly swept off their feet as Killer directed a well-aimed kick at them.

“Ugh!”

Killer pushed Chara off, then slashed at them again with their knife. Chara backed away, narrowly avoiding the attack. Killer jumped towards them. Their knives clashed once more, but instead of pulling away, Chara pushed back this time.

Laughing, Killer knelt down and aimed a punch at Chara's stomach. It knocked the wind out of them, and Chara staggered back. Killer pointed their knife straight at Chara's chest and charged. Chara purposefully fell backwards to avoid the fatal blow, but the knife caught the tip of their chin, drawing blood once more. Then, Chara return a kick at Killer's own stomach, pushing them back, before using the force of that kick to propel themselves up and back into a standing position.

Killer wiped away the blood from their nose.

“This has gone on for long enough.”

“What are you going to do? Use your shadows?”

“I'll kill you both!”

Just as Killer ran towards Chara again, Frisk had gotten up and gave chase. They grabbed Killer from behind, immobilizing them. Killer stomped on their foot, and Frisk jumped back in pain. However, this gave Chara enough time to slash Killer in the side. A line of blood appeared. Killer didn't even wince in pain. They turned, angling their face and chest away from Chara. Then, they raised their knife and spun around into a stable pose.

Killer stared at Chara as they slowly backed away. A smile appeared upon their lips. Raising their knife, they prepared to lunge forward – but, at the last moment, turned around, and lunged at Frisk.

“No, you don't!”

Chara intercepted the attack in time, but not with their knife. Instead, they put themselves in front of Killer, and Killer's knife slashed through their shoulder. Chara shouted in pain and fell down, blood splattering over the floor.

Frisk's eyes grew wide.

Without hesitation, they jumped at Killer, tackling them and knocking the knife out of their hands. The two of them tumbled to the floor and began wrestling.

“You can't win,” Killer said, laughing. “You can't!”

Frisk aimed a punch at Killer's head. Killer moved their head out of the way, then grabbed Frisk's arm and used it to propel themselves forward, headbutting Frisk on the nose. Frisk fell back and disentangled themselves from Killer. They stood back up at the exact same time as Killer.

“So, with Chara out of the way, it looks like it's finally just us two,” Killer said, grinning. “Frisk against Frisk. That's how every timeline has eventually turned out.”

Frisk could feel themselves shaking with rage. They had never felt so angry before. They were ready to hurt. They were ready to kill. 

Killer lunged at Frisk, who sidestepped. Frisk threw a punch at Killer, but missed. Killer swung a kick at their head. Frisk ducked, grabbed Killer's leg, and tossed them to the ground. Killer rolled away, then jumped back onto their feet. Frisk chased after them, but received a kick in the gut as Killer pushed themselves off the floor. Frisk staggered back and resumed their pose in time to avoid another punch from Killer. They lunged past Killer's outstretched arm and punched Killer back in the stomach.

Killer grabbed them and threw the two of them to the ground.

Their fight descended into a complete brawl as they rolled around, kicking and punching at each other. Frisk was the first to use their teeth. Killer had a tight grip on Frisk's shoulder, but Frisk had grabbed Killer's other hand. Turning their head around, they opened their mouth and bit Killer's wrist. Killer yelped, then kneed Frisk in the stomach. Frisk was thrown backwards, but quickly stood up. Before Killer could stand up, Frisk tackled them to the floor again.

Frisk opened their mouth, aiming for Killer's neck. Then, they felt Killer leaning towards them and biting them on the shoulder. They screamed in pain and punched Killer on the side of the head. After several punches, Killer finally let go. Frisk grabbed Killer's neck with both hands and began to choke them.

Killer used their own legs to trap Frisk's. Then, tossing their lower body around, Killer flipped over and pinned Frisk down below them. They raised a fist and smashed Frisk in the face. Blood poured from Frisk's nose, and Frisk let go of their choke hold. Killer punched them a second time, and then a third time. Frisk tried to move their head out of the way, but found that they were being pinned down too tightly. Blood began to cloud their vision.

They were punched until they felt themselves on the verge of losing consciousness.

“Yes. You see now,” Killer said, grabbing them by the neck and then raising them off the floor. Killer stood up. “You can't defeat me.”

Frisk opened their eyes and blinked, clearing away the blood. They felt themselves being dragged.

Killer dangled them over the edge of the ring.

“Look at you,” Killer whispered into Frisk's ear. “You're done for. I could drop you down now, and you'll be dead. Then, I'll finish off Chara. You won't be able to reset. I'll destroy the rest of you insects, and then end this world.”

Frisk struggled to move. But they couldn't.

“They won't catch you,” Killer said, snarling. “There's hardly any of them left.”

Hearing that woke Frisk up. 

“Oh? You want to take a look? Well – be my guest!”

Killed grabbed the back of Frisk's head and smashed their face to the ground. Killer knelt down and lifted Frisk's head up again, then pushed them so that their neck was over the edge.

They stared down at the battlefield below.

“Take a nice, long look,” Killer whispered. “Look at your dead friends. Look at how foolish they were to try to stop me. Look, as I crush what little hope they have left!”

Despair overcame Frisk.

Killer was right. Below them, they saw nothing but bodies. Almost all of the monsters had fallen down. The few that remained standing were on the verge of collapse. They were limping, barely putting up a fight. And yet, the shadows were still there.

Frisk tried to call out. 

Where were they? Toriel? Sans? Papyrus? Undyne? Alphys? Asgore?

Frisk tried to call their names, but found that they didn't even have the strength to make a sound.

“That's right,” Killer said. “They're all dead. It's over for them.”

Frisk stared down again. They had to look. They had to keep searching. Their friends – they still had to be there!

But there was nothing but bodies.

Nothing but monsters that had fallen down.

Nothing but defeat.

“...”

Then, suddenly, they noticed.

There was no dust.

Monsters turned into dust when they died.

But, on this battlefield, there was not even a speck of dust.

Then, they saw.

“Huh?”

The bodies.

They were slowly getting back up. Getting back onto their feet.

They were rising up again.

They were looking determined.

Determined to continue fighting.

And...

They were all melting.

* * *

“I do not think I can keep this up much longer,” Toriel said.

Shadows were swarming around her and Sans. She kept them at bay with a ring of fire, but their persistent attacks had wounded her badly. 

“Let's keep going, Tori,” Sans said. He turned around and knocked another shadow away with a blaster. Three shadows rose up and shot down towards them. Toriel raised her hands and burned them away with a wave of purple fire.

“...Sans?”

“Heh,” Sans said, chuckling. He gripped his chest, where blood was soaking out.

“Sans?!”

“Don't worry 'bout me,” Sans said. “I can keep going.”

“But, Sans – urgh!”

“Tori!”

Two shadows had impaled Toriel in the back. Toriel slumped over and collapsed to the ground. 

A giant pillar of bones flew towards the two shadows, obliterating them. Sans rushed over to Toriel's side.

“Toriel, are you-”

“Worry about yourself, Sans,” Toriel whispered. “You are bleeding.”

“So are you!”

“Sans, I-”

Toriel froze.

Then, she stood back up. “I...I'm fine?”

Sans looked at his own body as well. It was still bleeding, but...no, it wasn't just blood. It was bone, as well. Their bones...

Toriel's skin, too.

They were all melting.

“I feel a newfound strength,” Toriel said. 

“Hey, me too.”

Toriel looked up at the cluster of shadows that were circling above them. Faces and limbs and claws grew out of each shadow. The next moment, all of them launched down towards them.

“Ready, Sans?”

“Yep!”

Toriel raised her hands... 

An inferno exploded out around her and shot up into the air like a pillar. The shadows that came into contact with it instantly disintegrated. The fires spun around, creating layers of itself, until it became a whirlpool, sucking up every shadow around their ring. It was a raging firestorm, churning out wreathes of flame that obliterated each shadow in its path.

Sans chuckled.

The blasters surrounding him all merged together, creating a giant blaster head. Bones materialized beneath it, forming a body, arms, and legs. The blaster opened its mouth. A gigantic beam shot out, clearing away every shadow charging towards them. Then, the body took a step forward. It raised a hand and grabbed a shadow.

With a single kick, the blaster body bashed a stream of approaching shadows into pieces. Then, it threw the shadow that it held at the rest, bowling into them.

Shadows all around them vanished.

* * *

“You've felt this before?” Asgore said.

Undyne grinned. “I don't remember ever going into this state,” she said. “But...it does feel like I've somehow experienced it once!”

Asgore stood up. His melting body had suffered uncountable wounds. Yet, somehow, he felt like he had even more strength than before. His armour was becoming tougher, his trident was sharper, and powerful fire magic was boiling up within him, begging for release.

Shadows came spiralling down towards them.

“Let's go!” Undyne shouted.

A barrage of spears flew up towards the shadows, slicing them into pieces. 

Asgore raised his trident. Then, he stabbed the ground with it. As the floor cracked, a column of lava exploded up into the air. Three blades of fire shot out from each tip of the trident, swirling around the column and directing it towards the shadows.

The lava smashed into the approaching shadows, obliterating all of them.

“You've still got it in you!” Undyne said. “Looks like being an ambassador for a while hasn't changed your fighting spirit.”

Asgore chuckled deeply.

“And neither has teaching piano changed yours, either.”

Undyne looked shock for a moment. Then, she smiled.

The next wave of shadows was coming. Asgore lifted up his trident, and Undyne her spear.

“Let's go!” they both yelled.

* * *

“Oh, no!” Alphys shouted as she rushed towards Mettaton. “Your, y-your robot body is melting!”

“What do you mean, darling?” Mettaton asked, smiling. “I feel better than I've ever felt before!”

Alphys ducked as a stream of shadows shot down towards her. There was the sound of an explosion. Looking back up, she saw that the shadows had all been incinerated.

“Metta...ton?”

“I told you, Alphys,” Mettaton said. “I feel stronger than ever before! What are you even worried about?”

“Oh! This must b-be...it's determination!”

“Huh?”

Alphys smiled and gave Mettaton a thumbs up.

“You're full of determination!” Alphys exclaimed. “It means your b-body is going to melt, but you're going to become a lot more powerful!”

Another wave of shadows came spiralling down towards them. Mettaton raised his mega buster up into the air and released a blast of electricity, followed by an energy bomb. The shadows that were struck screamed, and then disintegrated away. Alphys raised her laser gun and finished off the rest with a series of well-aimed shots.

“Determination?” Mettaton said, grinning. “I like it!”

Alphys nodded. She lifted up a claw to wipe the sweat from her brow.

Her sweat came with a puddle of her own melting skin.

“After this...” she whispered. “I'm going to have to manufacture a lot more of that chemical.”

* * *

“Nyeh heh heh heh! It looks like I, the Great Papyrus, is sweating a bit more excessively today than usual!”

Papryus threw another bone at an incoming shadow, slicing it in half. Two more shadows rose up from behind him.

The River Person raised a bony hand. Streaks of red, black, and purple electricity shot out, ripping the two shadows into pieces.

“That is not sweat,” the River Person said.

“Eh? If it's not sweat, then...”

Papyrus wiped at his head. A puddle of white came off his head and stuck onto his fingers.

“Oh, no! It looks like I, the Great Papyrus, is turning into a snow man!”

The River Person sighed.

“You are not turning into a snow man, either.”

Shadows surrounded them. The two of them stood back to back as the shadows closed in. There were dozens of them. Dozens of screaming, writhing faces, and behind them, a huge cluster of crawling limbs.

“Then what have I, the Great Papyrus, become?!”

Chuckling, the River Person took a step forward.

A tsunami of shadows burst out from behind them. These shadows overwhelmed the others, the ones that came from Killer. Red and purple electricity coursed over the enemy shadows, ripping them apart. More and more enemy shadows came to attack, and all of them were sucked into the electricity. The River person raised a hand, and the enemy shadows floated up into an air, turning into an electric ball.

“No better time than now to use your special attack,” the River Person said.

Papyrus smiled gleefully.

He took a step forward, took out his most powerful bone, and tossed it into the ball.

The bone collided, and there was a gigantic explosion. The enemy shadows screamed, writhed, and then faded away into nothingness.

* * *

Killer stared at everything in shock.

Determination filled Frisk.

Suddenly, they turned around, grabbed Killer, and threw them backward.

Killer crashed to the ground, rolled away, and jumped quickly back onto their feet.

Frisk ran towards Chara, who was lying on the ground, gripping their bloodied shoulder. 

“Don't worry about me,” Chara whispered. “You have to-”

“Don't speak,” Frisk said.

They took Chara's arm and lifted them up, carrying Chara's arm over their shoulder.

“ENOUGH!” Killer screamed.

They turned around, facing over the edge.

“So, you're all melting,” Killer shouted down. “Don't think that means anything! My shadows are still far too powerful for you to stop!”

“You're the one that's going to be stopped!” Frisk yelled. “Nothing you do can defeat us now.”

“Is that what you think?!”

“Give up now!”

“Tchh...”

Killer turned to face the edge again.

“CHARA!” They yelled suddenly.

Frisk froze.

“COME OUT AND DESTROY THEM!” Killer shrieked. “DESTROY THESE INSECTS! DESTROY THIS WORLD! DESTROY EVERYTHING!”

An instant later, Frisk felt the tree that they were standing on begin to shake.

“Oh...”

“Shit!” Chara exclaimed.

At that moment, all the branches of the tree began to merge together. Faces, limbs, eyes, fangs, mouths, teeth, wings, talons – everything.

The tree continued shaking.

Within seconds, the branches had finished merging. They took the shape now of a massive red face, with melting eyes and mouth.

Frisk stared at it in shock.

“It's...”

Chara turned towards them.

“That's-”

“No, it's not,” Chara spoke up. “That...isn't me.”

Frisk looked at Chara. Then, they nodded.

“You're right. That's not Chara. You're Chara.”

Chara smiled back.

“Let's get out of here,” Frisk said.

“Right!”

Killer turned around. “Don't think you two are going to get away just yet!”

“We're leaving!” Frisk shouted.

Killer dashed towards them.

With Chara's arm over Frisk's shoulder, Frisk hopped down over the edge.

* * *

Toriel, Sans, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Papyrus, and River Person, and every other monster – every monster that had fallen down had melted, and they were now back on their feet, standing together.

There was just one last obstacle in front of them. The tree itself.

Its melting face loomed over them all.

“Welp. Looks like this is it,” Sans said. “Our final stand.”

Toriel rubbed Sans on the head. “Don't be so blue, you numbskull,” she said.

“...Tori?!”

She laughed. “We will give it our best shot.”

Sans sighed. Then, he smiled. “All right. This time, I'm not going to cut any slack.”

“Everyone ready?” Asgore said.

“I SURE AM!” Undyne screamed.

Alphys giggled nervously. “Uh, I hope I can do my b-best...”

“Alphys, darling,” Mettaton said, placing a firm hand on Alphy's shoulder. “When you're on the stage, you have to give it your all! And, right now, there is no performance more important!”

“You're...y-you're right, Mettaton!”

“I, the Great Papyrus, will fight for the sake of – no, to protect all of my dear friends!”

The River Person made an expression that could perhaps be interpreted as a smile. “As will I.”

Asgore smiled. “Then – let's do it!”

Together, they raised their strongest attacks.

“CRUSH THEM!” Killer screamed from the top of the tree.

From the face of the tree, millions – no, billions – or even trillions of shadows burst out and flew towards them in a single, massive stream.

Every monster fired back.

There was fire, and ice, and lightning, and lasers, and water, and acid, and webs, and rocks, and metal, and bones, and wind, and multi-coloured electricity, and countless more elements – all of them merged together to form a rainbow of pure energy which struck the shadow head on.

The explosion was blinding.

Yet, both of these attacks held on.

The shadows started to push forward. 

The monsters' attacks pushed back.

The shadows pushed forward again.

The monster's attacks held on.

The shadows gave another push.

Their attack was almost diminished.

But then, with renewed strength, the monsters' attacks struck back.

The shadows fell away.

They started to disintegrate.

The shadows became pushed back at last.

The monsters' attacks pushed the shadows all the way back to tree.

Killer stared in horror as the face on the tree was blasted by the monsters' attack. There was a shriek, and then the melting face disintegrated. The rest of the tree collapsed. Its trunk melted. The shadows faded away. The entire thing blew up in a gargantuan explosion.

And Killer's footing gave away as the floor beneath them had melted and was no longer solid. They came tumbling down, and even as the monsters' attack destroyed all the shadows, they were left unharmed until they had fallen all the way to the ground.

There was a blinding flash of white, and then, all of the shadows were gone.

“MY SOUL!” Killer screamed. They reached up into the air and grabbed something.

It was the last and final piece of their soul.

Their grabbed it, a tiny black heart, and kept it hidden in the palm of their hand as they turned around and ran-

Frisk and Chara were standing behind them. 

Killer backed away.

There was another explosion of purple flame. A ring of fire surrounded Killer. They were trapped.

“You...all of you – stay away!” 

Frisk walked forward.

The other monsters spread out to surround the ring.

They were completely encircled.

* * *

Killer stood at the centre of the ring of fire, trembling. Frisk stepped towards them. 

“I told you to stay away!” Killer yelled.

“I won't kill you,” Frisk said, standing close to the edge of the fire. “I want t-”

“You won't kill me?! HAH! If you don't do it, then your friends will! Do you honestly believe that they could forgive me for destroying so many worlds? Are you really that foolish that you think a killer like me deserves ANY mercy?” 

Frisk shook their head.

“We won't kill you.”

“You idiot!” Killer began laughing out loud. “Look at your friends. Look at how angry they are at me. Look at how determined they are to kill me!”

“They will not kill you.”

Frisk looked around the room. All around, everyone was shaking their heads. Everyone was giving Killer mercy.

“They...th-they won't kill me?” Killer said.

“How...”

“That's...”

“Haha...”

“Ahahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“THAT'S ABSURD!” Killer screamed. They opened up the palm of their hand.

“Here you go! Look at it! Look at my soul! Look at how tainted it is! Look at how weak, vulnerable, and exposed it is! Just one strike – just one hit, and I'll be gone! I advise you – if you have any sense in your thick skulls, strike me down now!”

A few of the monsters raised their limbs, as if to attack, but all of them backed down quickly.

Killer was stunned.

“So, is this how it's going to be?” they said, snarling. “IS THIS HOW YOU'RE GOING TO TREAT A KILLER?”

Silence.

Frisk nodded at Toriel. An opening in the ring of fire appeared, and Frisk stepped through it.

Killer backed away.

“You...you idiot,” Killer said. “What are you coming in here for?!”

“I'm offering you mercy,” Frisk said.

“MERCY? FOR ME? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? I DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING MERCY!”

“I'm giving you a chance to go back!” Frisk yelled. “I want you to go back to your own timeline! I want you to reset everything! Bring back every monster, and every other Frisk that you've killed!”

“HA! I'd rather die than revive any of those weak, pathetic timelines! To hell with them!”

Frisk paused.

There was something about this situation that they really couldn't believe. Something that had been disturbing them, since the very beginning of their first encounter with Killer.

Here they were, two Frisks in the same world, standing right beside each other. One, a pacifist. The other, a genocidal murderer.

Two completely different Frisks.

“I...I have a question for you,” Frisk spoke up. “I want to ask something.”

“WHAT?!”

“I want to ask how you became this way,” Frisk said. “Why...why would you want to go and kill everyone in the underground? What made you start this?”

A look of pure bewilderment came over Killer's face.

“You...you don't know?!” Killer responded.

“I don't.”

“How could you not want to kill everyone?!” Killer laughed. “In this world, it's kill or be killed!”

“It doesn't work like that!” Frisk yelled. “It's not 'kill or be killed.'”

They paused.

“I guess...” Frisk began.

“What I want to know is...”

“...What happened? What made you believe in 'kill or be killed'?”

Killer's expression softened. They backed up further.

“Don't...don't you remember?” Killer said. 

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You mean...you don't remember what happened five years ago?!”

Frisk froze.

Five years ago. That was when they were on their journey. Their journey through that war-torn land, where they had met the family of five children. Where they encountered the eldest sibling, who had tried his hardest to protect his family, and had failed, and ended up joining a group of fundamentalists. But, in the end, they and the child's mother had talked him out of it, and he left the group, promising not to fight.

And then, the day after, to save themselves, they had left the village as it fell upon the brink of war.

“What...happened?” Frisk asked.

“YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW?”

Frisk shook their head.

“The child we tried so hard to save!” Killer yelled. “He lied to us! He told us that he wouldn't fight, but when the soldiers came, he went back to the group! His mother tried to stop him, but he just killed her! Then, he killed his own siblings, saying that they weren't his family anymore, as he had a new family now! He slaughtered all of them!”

Frisk started to tremble.

“That...that happened?”

“How could you not remember?!” Killer looked furious. “He fought with the group, but was captured. The soldiers took over the village and rounded up every dissenter. They made everyone dig trenches – mass graves – and made them kneel in front of the trenches. Then, the soldiers shot them all!”

Frisk turned away.

“I...I didn't know,” Frisk said. “In my timeline, I didn't stay in the village. When the soldiers came, I ran away. I...I abandoned them.”

Killer became frozen.

“You...you abandoned them,” Killer whispered. “You...you abandoned them, and you never had to go through...all those resets...”

“Resets?” Frisk asked.

“I...I spent so many resets trying to save them,” Killer said. “I died so many times. I became immune to pain. But I could never save them. I...”

Suddenly, Killer threw their head back and laughed.

“I REALIZED THAT, IN THIS WORLD, IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED!” they shouted. “So, I gave up trying to save them! I went and killed everybody I could! I joined the soldiers, and I massacred everyone in the village. It was pleasant, it was good – oh, so good to finally be able to shed blood! Hahaha, to think, if I had just LEFT the village, I wouldn't have ended up killing so, so many people!” 

Killer's voice became choked.

“To think...if I had just left the village, I wouldn't, I w-wouldn't...” Tears welled up in their eyes. They pointed a finger at Frisk. “To think, all I had to do was to abandon them...you, you, you COWARD!”

Frisk backed away. “I couldn't have known!”

“For your cowardice, you become a saviour of the underground – you made so many friends, you helped all the monsters to the surface, and it was all because you ABANDONED THE VILLAGE?”

Killer grabbed their face with their hands and broke down into tears. “Ha! If only I knew! If only, if only, if only! If only I knew...if only I knew...if only...”

Frisk turned away.

For a while, everyone remained silent. All they could hear was the sound of Killer crying.

Finally, Frisk decided to speak again.

“I'm...I'm sorry,” Frisk whispered.

Killer continued crying.

“I...I want you to accept our mercy,” Frisk continued. “It's not too late to go back and change everything. It's not too late to abandon 'kill or be killed'. You can go back, and you can save everyone. Or at least, everyone in the underground. Even that much counts, right?”

“SHUT UP!”

Killer scrambled to their feet and cupped their soul in their hands again.

“It's too late,” Killer said. “I've gone too far! I can't go back now! I CAN'T!”

“Yes, you can!” Frisk said. “You can still save everyone!”

“Stop saying 'everyone' like the underground is the only place that matters! I've killed far, far too many people for things to change!”

Frisk took a step forward. “It's not-”

“IT IS TOO LATE FOR ME!”

Killer backed up until they were almost touching the fire.

“No!” Frisk shouted.

“Don't you know...” A smile came upon Killer's lips. “In this world...it's KILL OR BE KILLED?”

Frisk froze, expecting Killer to do something.

But they didn't do anything.

Killer simply stood there.

They started laughing again.

“It's kill or be killed...it's kill or be killed...kill or be killed...kill or be killed...kill or be killed...”

“Kill or be killed...KILL OR BE KILLED...KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!”

“Frisk-”

“If you won't kill me...” Killer whispered. “Then, I'll – I'll –“

Frisk dashed forward. “Stop!”

Killer raised their soul.

A streak of purple electricity coursed over it. The soul transformed into the shape of a tiny but sharp knife.

Killer raised the knife at Frisk.

“NO!” Chara shouted.

But then, Killer angled the knife away from Frisk, and a wide grin came over their lips.

“-I'll do it myself!”

In a swift motion, Killer slit their own throat.

Frisk didn't make it in time.

Blood poured out of Killer's throat. Their hand went limp. The knife – their soul – fell to the ground, and then faded away. Killer fell backwards into the fire.

Their body began to burn.

“You...” Frisk whispered.

Frisk, and everybody else, watched as Killer's body turned black in the fire.


	33. Group Hug

Together, everyone walked out of the tunnels to the surface. The monsters left puddles behind them, but determination kept them from giving up and falling down. A team from the laboratory (called by Alphys) was waiting at the giant hole in the mall. They had brought along a large quantity of the chemical that could fix the monsters' melting. 

While everyone received injections of the chemical, Frisk and Chara sat with Toriel by a wall. Toriel was using her magic to heal their wounds.

“I am sorry that we had to let you fight someone as savage as Killer,” Toriel was saying as she healed Chara's shoulder.

“It's fine, mother,” Chara said. “We didn't really do much. It was you and everyone else that destroyed Killer's shadow.”

“Still, had we learned to wield the power of determination earlier-”

“Chara's right,” Frisk said. “The important thing is that all of us made it out of that battle alive.”

Everyone but Killer, of course.

All the monsters seemed to be feeling both remorse and satisfaction from the fact that Killer had offed themselves. There was remorse, because they would rather have that Killer went back to their own timeline and every other timeline that they destroyed to fix things. But there was also satisfaction, because – being such a terrible murderer – it made sense that Killer would end up being the one to kill themselves. 

Toriel gave a sigh.

Chara winced as the bright light of Toriel's magic shrouded their wound, like a fog. Their flesh was being mended, severed veins being repaired, and trace amounts of blood being replenished. Frisk had experienced the feeling of being healed already, and it had been on their face, where Killer had punched them nearly a dozen times. The feeling was like a mixture of mild, stinging pain, and also an uncomfortably ticklish sensation.

When Toriel finished, she stood up.

“This is the most I can do,” she said. “But I would suggest visiting a doctor, to make sure that your health is well and that there are no other internal injuries that I may have missed.”

“We'll do that,” Frisk replied, nodding.

Toriel smiled. “Well then, I think-”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt...”

Asgore walked up beside Toriel, glancing nervously back and forth between her and Chara. He stood in front of Chara and gave them a large smile.

The two of them had talked on their way up the tunnels. Asgore had even let Chara sit on his shoulder when they grew tired of walking. Chara thought that it would be fun, but quickly changed their mind when their pants became stained by a puddle of melted Asgore.

“Chara,” Asgore said. “I am sorry that I did not come to visit you sooner.”

He turned to face Frisk as well. “I am sorry to you too, Frisk.”

“It's fine, dad,” Chara replied. “Frisk and I get along really well by ourselves.”

“...Really well,” Frisk said, turning their eyes away.

Asgore nodded. “I'm glad to see that you two have become such good friends. As an ambassador of the monsters, I have to work seven days a week. But, if you ever need help, you can give me a call...”

He took out a giant black smartphone from inside his pockets.

“...and I'll answer with my new phone!” Asgore grinned. “It's a Nexus 5050p! The new phone from Google, specifically for boss monster-sized hands!”

“That is very well and all, Asgore, but I think if my children need help, the first person that they will call is Alphys,” Toriel said, giving Asgore an evil eye. “And, if they are in need of parental affection, they are much more likely to call me instead of you.”

Asgore lowered his head.

“Don't worry, dad!” Chara spoke up. “I'll call to talk to you if you feel lonely.”

“Chara...thank you,” Asgore replied, tears welling up in his eyes.

He reached down to give Chara a hug. Chara embraced him back.

“Ah! Is it time for a group hug to celebrate our reunion?” Papyrus said, sauntering up to them. “Will you let me, the Great Papyrus, join in?!”

“Of course!” Frisk answered, extending out their arms.

“Group hug? I'm in!!” Undyne yelled, dashing towards them.

“Undyne? Wait f-for me!” Alphys called out.

“What a tearful finale!” Mettaton said, sticking out his legs for no particular reason (he comes for the hug as well). “If I had filmed our entire adventure, this could very well make for a record-shattering movie...”

“Oh, shut up with you and your stage drama,” Toriel said.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

“Ummm...I thought I was just saying what everyone was thinking,” she replied, blushing.

“WOWIE!” Papyrus shouted. “Goat monsters can blush?”

“Of...of course we can!” Asgore responded.

“And she's right, you know,” Undyne said to Mettaton. “Stick your films and your stage drama somewhere else!”

Mettaton's expression turned corrosive.

“You do not mind...if I hug as well?” Toriel asked.

Frisk smiled. “Mom! You don't even have to ask!”

With a great big goat-mom smile, she joined in.

“...Group hug?” A meek voice suddenly said.

Burgerpants emerged from a nearby store and walked shyly towards them. He looked like he wanted to join in, but was too nervous to ask.

Mettaton smirked. “Well, if it isn't-”

“BURGERPANTS!” Frisk yelled. “Of course you can join in our group hug!”

“Well...ummm, I didn't do anything, but, uh, I guess I could...” He made an exaggerated face. “...IF MY BOSS WOULD STOP MONITORING ALL MY WORK HOURS!”

“Aren't all the stores closed right now?” Alphys said.

Burgerpants' expression became softer. “No one told me...oh. Well. In that case, I guess, I'll join in!”

He came over and hugged everyone, awkwardly. 

Napstablook drifted by. “Oh...I guess I'll join...and pretend that I can give hugs...”

Mettaton gave Napstablook a pat on the shoulder (somehow?).

There was only one more person.

“SANS!” Frisk called out to the skeleton. “Come here for our group hu-”

Frisk blinked, but when they opened their eyes, Sans was already beside them.

“What're you talking about, kid?” Sans said, making the largest grin Frisk had ever seen. “I'm already here!”

Chara gave Sans a suspicious glare. Then, they laughed.

“To the humans, and to every monster!” Asgore said. “Let's give everyone a great big hug!”

Frisk turned to face you. 

Yes, you. You, behind the screen. Yeah, you're joining in too. What? You thought this story wasn't going to break the fourth wall? Come join the hug!

We're not going to have this group hug without you, you know.

So come join us!

It's a hug with the Undertale cast! (Even Asriel is here...somehow? I guess Sans planted him and he burrowed through the soil to get here)

Even Chara wants to give you a hug!

Let's go.

One, two, three...

GROUP HUG!!!

* * *

“So, where do you w-want to live from here on?” 

Frisk and Chara were lying in the laboratory hospital, recovering from their battle. Alphys was sitting beside them.

“We could go back and live with mother,” Chara said.

Frisk considered it for a moment, but shook their head.

“Mom's still going to be really busy managing her school,” Frisk replied. “Plus, to be honest...I think I enjoyed the freedom of living by ourselves.”

“You want to go back to that dingy little apartment?!”

“No, not that! I want to live here, in this apartment. It's close to the university, and I like going to the campus library. And you can continue your piano lessons with Undyne!”

Alphys looked like she was about to cry.

“Out of every place you've lived...you choose to stay w-with me?”

Chara smiled. They looked happy about this idea as well. “Who else am I going to play video games with all day?”

Frisk laughed. “Well, if it's okay with you-”

“Of course it's okay!” Alphys said. “I'm g-going to call Sans and tell him to move everything from your other apartment b-back to the laboratory. We'll have everything s-set up and ready for you, just like it was before, by the time you're well enough to leave!”

“Thank you!”

“And I'll tell Undyne that y-you want to begin your piano lessons again,” Alphys said to Chara. “You do, right?”

Chara nodded. “I have a new piece I want to show her!”

“That's great!”

She dashed out of the room.

Frisk laid their head back down on their pillow. Here they were, in hospital, lying in bed. The doctors had told them that it would take a while for the bruises on their faces to recover, but at least they hadn't broken any bones. Chara was the more injured, with their slashed shoulder, and they had needed stitches for that.

“I've been thinking...” Frisk began.

Chara looked up at them. “Yeah?”

“Was it...was it possible for us to save Killer?”

“If you ask me? No.”

Frisk was silent for a moment.

“Don't overthink it,” Chara continued. “If you do that, you'll just end up thinking about all the 'what if' scenarios that didn't happen. You'll be filled with regret.” 

“Chara?”

“I know. From experience.”

Frisk sighed.

“I thought I could save everyone,” Frisk said. “I thought anybody, no matter how horrible or awful they were, could become a better person if they just tried. I thought...I really thought that I could save them.”

They turned over, to face Chara. “The worst thing about it is...that person could've been me. Killer WAS me – they were me from an alternate world, after having been dealt an alternate hand of cards.” 

“Don't say that!” Chara said. “Killer wasn't you in any way or form.”

“But...”

“No 'buts'. You are the person that you are right now, Frisk. The things that you could or should have done don't matter, because they're all in the past.” Chara closed their eyes. “If I could go back to the past and change things, well, there are so many things that I would've done differently. But, I know I can't. I can never reset back that far, and I wouldn't want to – because, if I did, I'd become a completely different person than who I am now. And I don't know if that'd be for better or for worse.”

“You're right,” Frisk replied. “Chara...that was an extremely mature thing for you to say.”

Chara grinned. “Well, I AM actually over a hundred years old, you know!”

“What?!”

“Just kidding! I don't know or remember ANYTHING that happened while I was dead! As far as I know: one second, I was in Asriel's body, collapsing on the garden floor in the underground kingdom's throne room, and the next, I was inside your body!”

“Oh.”

Chara's expression saddened. “Well, I guess, if there's one thing that I really want to do, it's to help Asriel get his body back.”

“Yeah.”

“But...Alphys is still going to help us do that, isn't she?”

“Right.”

Frisk turned over again and looked up at the ceiling. 

“There is one thing that's surprised me...” they whispered.

“Huh?”

“When...Killer died, I was expecting to feel, well, sadder. But, for some reason, I didn't. In the past, I would have done something different, even possibly stupid, like resetting and trying to get a better outcome. But, this time, I just didn't want to risk it.”

“Frisk-”

“It just makes me feel like I've...well, become lazy. Or maybe even less determined.

“I think that's just called growing up.”

Frisk closed their eyes, nodding.

“Yeah. I've come to realize that you can't really save anybody. This world is...too complex. It's impossible to reduce everything down to whom can or can't be saved.”

Chara turned over.

“So...you're not going to feel sad over them?”

“No. As you said, the best thing for me to do is to just move on and stop thinking about them.”

“Right.”

To Chara's surprise, Frisk got out of bed, walking over to them...and climbed into their bed.

“Frisk?!”

“I'm lonely,” Frisk said, tugging themselves under Chara's blankets. They put their arm around Chara's back and pushed themselves close. “I'd rather sleep with you.”

“Awww, you...”

“I like your eyes so much. And I want to smell your hair again.”

“You're still too cute.”

“Want to kiss?”

“Okay.”

Frisk put their lips on Chara's and began kissing them. They hugged Chara tightly, feeling all their warmth. They breathed in deeply, taking in the pleasant scent of Chara's hair. Chara put a hand on Frisk's shoulder and stroked their neck. Frisk caressed them back. Their closeness, their affection, and their intimacy was the most satisfying sensation in the world. 

Their lips started to get wet-

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Frisk and Chara looked up to see Alphys standing at the door. Her face was completely red.

“Sorry! Bad t-time! I'll come back later!”

“No, wait!”

Frisk jumped out of Chara's bed and returned to their own.

“Let's do this later,” Chara whispered.

Frisk giggled.

“Yeah.”


	34. Quick Fix Asriel

“So, how are we going to get Asriel his body back?” Chara asked. 

“We need to get him another soul,” Frisk replied. They turned their eyes and face upward. “Technically, any soul will do. Once a soul binds with an essence, the body belonging to that essence will take form. Or, at least, that's what Alphys has been telling me.”

“What do you mean, 'any soul'?”

“In theory, there are only two types of souls in the world: human souls, and monster souls. Obviously, we'll need to get Asriel a monster soul, as his essence won't accept a human soul. But, well, souls don't just grow on trees. There's exactly one soul for every living being in the world, so there's no way for us to ever get another 'free' soul without...forcefully taking it from something else.”

“Huh.”

Chara stretched themselves out on their bed, sighing. The two birds were hopping around Asriel's flower pot, making chirping noises. Every once in a while, Asriel's face would appear on the flower and make a scary face to frighten the little birds. He would always laugh as he watched the two birds run back into their cages.

Frisk had to admit, the whole thing did look kind of funny.

“At this rate, I might as well just give up,” Asriel spoke up. “Let's face it: I'm never going to get my soul, or my body, back. I'm going to be a flower forever.”

“Don't say that,” Chara said.

“No, it's fine, really. I've kind of gotten accustomed to being a flower. It's not that bad once you get used to it.”

“That's a depressing thing to say.”

Frisk couldn't help feeling sorry for Asriel. No matter what, they would not stop trying to find a way to get Asriel his body back, even if he didn't mind being a flower. They knew that Alphys had been working hard on researching monster souls. Sans had been helping her out as well. One day, they would have to make a breakthrough. They had to.

In the meantime, Frisk had returned to their days of reading and studying on the university campus, while Chara went back to their piano lessons with Undyne and evening games with Alphys. Except lately, Alphys had become so busy working that Chara ended up having to play games by themselves. Today, Frisk had decided to keep Chara company. They were sitting on their bed, reading a book on the possible geographical origins of monsters, while Chara was playing another rage-inducing game which, ironically, also had the word 'Souls' in its title. 

Frisk was interrupted from their reading by Chara angrily throwing their controller down onto their bed.

“That has to be the least fair boss I've ever fought!” Chara shouted at the monitor. “You can't just attack me forever like that!”

“You're losing because you don't have any patience,” Asriel said, pointing a leaf-like finger at Chara. “Look. I've been watching you play. You keep getting caught by that third swipe because you don't time your dodges correctly.”

“I'd time it right if I had a moment to dodge at all!”

With a flirtatious smile, Frisk leaned towards Chara and placed an arm around their shoulder. “How about you let me try?”

“You're going to get destroyed, Frisk.”

“I'll show you how good I am!”

Frisk took the controller into their hands, ignoring Chara. As the character in the game respawned, Chara smiled sarcastically and leaned their head against Frisk. The scent of Chara's hair momentarily made Frisk feel warm and dreamy. However, Frisk had a statement to prove, so they continued ignoring Chara and began running back to the boss.

Chara's phone on the table rang. They got up and answered the call. Moments later, right before Frisk entered the boss's room, Chara hung up and rushed back to the bed.

“Alphys is telling us to go downstairs to her laboratory. She says to bring Asriel.”

Frisk's hands froze. “What? Really?”

“Yeah! Let's go right now!”

“Okay.”

“I wonder what it could be this time,” Asriel muttered.

With Chara holding Asriel's flower pot, the three of them went out of their apartment and descended on the elevator down to Alphys's laboratory. When the elevator doors opened, Frisk was surprised to find that the River Person was there.

“Long time no see!” Chara exclaimed when they saw the River Person. 

“Yeah. We haven't visited your cafe ever since we moved back here,” Frisk said. “Sorry about that.”

“It's quite all right,” the River Person replied. “Actually, I am closing down my cafe. Furthermore, this shall probably be the last time that you will ever see me again.”

Frisk's smile transformed into an enormous frown. “But why?”

“I am here to help Asriel get his body back,” the River Person said.

“He's r-right,” Alphys chimed in. “We've figured out a way to m-make Asriel another soul. The key lies in the Core and in the River Person.” She lowered her head and her expression became downcast. “They're really quite s-selfless.”

The River Person made a sound like a laugh. Something gleamed from behind their hood. “I believe I've told you how I came to take this form, yes?”

Both Frisk and Chara nodded.

“When my former self fell into the Core long ago, two new monsters were created, and what remained of my shattered Soul used the power of the Core to construct this new form. That means I am not a body at all, but rather a walking, breathing soul, powered by magic. To be frank, I am quite done with this form. My essence lives on in my two descendants, so I am ready to discard this self. In other words, I am willing to give my soul to Asriel.” 

“And the c-catalyst is the Core,” Alphys said. “With the tremendous magical energy residing within it, we can p-purify the River Person's soul, then bind Asriel's essence to it. The result will be a s-soul with a body restored to its true form. Asriel's form.”

Frisk didn't know what to say. They didn't want to say that they were glad that the River Person was willing to make this sacrifice. But, deep down, they knew why the River Person was doing it. Chara probably understood why, too.

The River Person's task was complete. They did not desire to exist for any longer, so they would make their final act be to save another person, something that only they could do.

“Well, shall we get going?” the River Person said.

“Wait,” Chara said. “Didn't Killer drain all the magical energy from the Core? Isn't that place just an empty tunnel right now?”

“That's c-correct. We'll have to use a Core from another world,” Alphys said, sweat falling from her brow. “So to do this, we n-need to enter another timeline.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I've already f-found the nearest timeline that we can get to by following the tunnels. I don't think anyone in that timeline will r-really mind us intruding to use their Core's power. We only need about a minute.”

“I hate the thought of going back down there.”

“Me too,” Frisk said.

“Killer is dead,” the River Person said. “We have explored and mapped out the tunnels thoroughly. There is nothing down there anymore.”

“In that case, what are waiting for?” Asriel spoke up, a large grin appearing on the flower's face. “Come on, let's go already!”

“He's right,” Alphys said. “I can't imagine h-how long you've been waiting to get your body back. Let's not w-waste anymore time!”

“Okay. Let's do it,” Chara said. 

Frisk nodded.

The five of them, together, went back down into the tunnels underneath the laboratory. Memories of their final fight against Killer, when the walls of the tunnels had been swarming with shadows, came flooding back to Frisk's mind. For a moment, they paused, stricken with fear. 

Chara took Frisk's hand.

“It's okay,” Chara said, their red eyes staring deeply into Frisk's. “There's nothing for us to worry about.”

“Thanks,” Frisk responded, gripping Chara's hand tightly. They tried to smile. “I was just reminded of Killer's shadows for a second.”

“To be h-honest, who wouldn't be?” Alphys said. “That was one scary b-battle!”

“Yeah,” Chara said, laughing out loud. “Really, though – they're dead, right?”

“Of course. With our combined determination, we eliminated them,” the River Person said. 

“Exactly. Come on, Frisk. Asriel's waiting!”

After walking through the tunnels for about an hour, they began to see a bright light shining out from the hall ahead. As they walked into the light, Frisk was instantly reminded of their own journey through the Core of the underground. The smell of chrome filled the air. But, unlike before, there were no monsters trying to kill them this time. And no Mettaton waiting for them at the end, either. Unless, for some reason, there was...?

“We're in t-timeline number two thousand six hundred and ninety-three,” Alphys said. “It's one of the timelines that s-survived. I believe all the monsters have already m-made it to the surface in this one.”

“Did we really cross into another timeline just by walking into it?” Frisk asked.

“That is the power of the Core,” the River Person said. “Or, more precisely, it is the fact that most of the timelines split at the exact moment that I fell into the Core so long ago. All of those timelines converge at this one point.”

“So, r-really, when you enter one Core, you actually enter the Core of every timeline,” Alphys said. “The exceptions are the timelines where the Core h-has been drained of all its power. The physics behind how those t-timelines connect with each other is really complicated, but I can explain it to you if you want-”

“It's fine,” Chara said. “I think Asriel just wants to get his body back.”

“R-right!”

After walking for a bit longer, they finally arrived onto the bridge where Frisk had fought Mettaton. But where there had been walls before, there was now just empty space. Far beneath the bridge was a vast and glowing sea of magical energy. 

“We came here earlier, and tinkled with the m-machinery, so the Core here has been exposed,” Alphys said. “Everyone, stay back. We really don't want any of you falling in, which w-would potentially create even more timelines!”

“Except for me,” the River Person said, stepping onto the bridge. “I will fall into the Core again. This time, I will purge this soul of my essence. Then, you will fetch me out and allow my soul to enter Asriel.”

“How are we going to do that?” Chara asked.

“With this, of course!” Alphys said. She took out a long stretch of rope from inside her lab coat and smiled. “You'd be surprised at how g-good a simple rope can be at lifting up a soul!”

Frisk stared at Alphys as she tied the rope around the River Person's body. They were really finding this plan hard to believe, but if both Alphys and the River Person trusted it...

The River Person stepped towards the edge of the bridge.

“Farewell, everyone,” the River Person said. “It has been a pleasure.”

Frisk felt themselves growing teary-eyed. “River Person. Thank you for saving me back then. I really owe you my life.”

“I was merely doing my job.”

Chara wiped their eyes with their hand. “You don't know how much saving Frisk meant to me! I didn't trust you at first, but now, really, y-you're – you're one of my friends, you know?”

For a split second, Frisk thought they saw a glimmer at the edge of the River Person's hood. A glimmer, and just the silhouette of a soft, genuine smile.

“Thank you, Chara. Thank you, Frisk,” the River Person said. “The two of you are my friends, too.”

Chara placed Asriel's pot on the ground and turned away, covering their face with their hand. Frisk placed a hand on Chara's back, but they could not help but lower their face as well. Something wet was about to fall from their eyes.

“Let's d-do it,” Alphys said, sniffing. “Let's give Asriel his body back.”

The River Person nodded. “Here I go.”

They jumped off the bridge, raising their hands to wave at Frisk and Chara one final time. 

A second later, there was a bright flash of light. So bright, in fact, that Frisk was momentarily blinded. Their vision went white, and even when they shut their eyes they could see an almost burning redness.

They heard a sound like an explosion, and then something like a hard rustling. The light dimmed, and they opened their eyes to see Alphys hauling up a bright, glowing ball on her rope. The ball was so bright that it stung Frisk's eyes just to look at it.

It was a soul in its purest form, bound to no creature's essence.

Alphys walked towards Asriel with her head turned away from the blindingly bright light. Once she was close enough, she transferred the soul onto Asriel's flower.

There was another bright flash of light.

Once everything had dimmed down again, Frisk opened up their eyes. 

The pot had spilled over. Clumps of soil lay on the ground. There was no flower anywhere.

Standing in front of them, just like Frisk had seen on that day when the barrier to the surface shattered, was a small goat boy in a green and yellow-striped sweater.

Chara stretched out their arms.

But, to Frisk's surprise, Asriel simply stood there.

“All right, I'll give you all a hug,” Asriel said in an oddly indifferent tone of voice. “First thing I'm going to do when we get back, though –“ he stared at Chara “– I'm going to show you that I can beat all your games!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a while ago I posted a different chapter 34, from Chara's perspective, and then I deleted it. The reason was because the plot I had planned for it wasn't something I wanted to write.
> 
> This new chapter 34 ties up loose ends involving Asriel, which was something I felt was missing from this story.


End file.
